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Newcastle bow out

Uefa Cup Round of 16, second leg/AZ Alkmaar 2 Newcastle Utd 0: Weak when they needed to be strong, anxious when they had to …

Michael Walker in Alkmaar
Fri Mar 16 2007 - 00:00

Uefa Cup Round of 16, second leg/AZ Alkmaar 2 Newcastle Utd 0:Weak when they needed to be strong, anxious when they had to be assured, Newcastle United deservedly bowed out of Europe in a small town north of Amsterdam last night.

Big reputations and even bigger pay packets were made to look every bit as inflated as we generally think they are. AZ Alkmaar are no world-beaters, but they were made to look it.

Three weeks after his 34th birthday, former Rangers striker Shota Arveladze led AZ from the front. With Newcastle as brittle defensively as Alkmaar were last week, Arveladze scored the all-important first goal.

That set the tone for the evening, and though Newcastle made it to half-time at 1-0, Danny Koevermans headed in the deserved second 11 minutes into the second half.

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Obafemi Martins, who might have ended the tie at St James' late on, missed an 83rd-minute chance, but that was the Nigerian's first on-target shot, and he was as underwhelming as the rest of Glenn Roeder's players.

There were only 17,000 in this full, new stadium, but it sounded like twice that. AZ's task was to translate that atmosphere into early panic on the pitch, while Newcastle's was to remain cool.

However, grace under pressure is not a quality Newcastle's defence have exhibited too often and even before Arveladze's opener there were moments of alarm from Titus Bramble and Damien Duff.

Thirty seconds before Arveladze scored, he lured Steven Taylor out to the right-back area and then swivelled away from him much too easily. The Georgian's cross was inviting and Julian Jenner managed to get to it before any defender. Given made his first save of the game, low to his left. But the ball remained in play and Koevermans collected it on the right flank and his centre along the ground bisected Given, Taylor and Bramble. From barely four yards, Arveladze pounced to slide the ball in.

Just before the hour mark Koevermans climbing to send a powerful header past Given.

AZ ALKMAAR:Waterman, Jaliens, De Cler, Steinsson, De Zeeuw, Donk, Martens, Dembele, Koevermans, Arveladze, Jenner. Subs: Bulters, Luirink, Opdam, Boukhari, Vormer, Lens.

NEWCASTLE UTD:Given, Bramble, Taylor, Huntington, Solano, Dyer, Duff, Parker, Sibierski, Butt, Martins. Subs: Harper, Emre, Luque, N'Zogbia, Milner, Moore, Carroll.

Referee:Bertrand Layec (France)