A football match that doubled as a freak show, featuring the bizarre and the beautiful, ended with Newcastle United out of Europe for another year.

At times utterly outclassed by the hitherto unknown Troyes, Newcastle managed both to thrill and humiliate their supporters with a paradoxical, faintly ludicrous display.

Having taken the lead through Nolberto Solano in the second minute, Newcastle shipped four goals before staging the most unlikely of comebacks with goals from Shola Ameobi and Aaron Hughes and a penalty from Gary Speed.

Led by their developing young striker Shola Ameobi, United forced a series of errors from Troyes and when Solano seized upon the last one 25 yards out he had a sight of goal. It still required an accurate, hard shot from there to beat Tony Heurtebis, but Solano produced one.

Troyes's response was to return to what they do well: pass the ball quickly.

Newcastle were stretched and eight minutes later a free-kick fully 35 yards from Shay Given's goal, struck sweetly and powerfully by Medhi Leroy, swerved and warped like a sliced golf drive and left Given embarrassed once again.

Just after the hour Rothen centred again from the left and Boutal nodded in the fourth. Numerous Geordies upped and left. They missed Ameobi's goal that made it 4-2 and then the penalty from Speed to make 4-3. They needed two more goals in the last 2 0 minutes. They could find only one of them, from Hughes in injury-time.

NEWCASTLE UNITED (4-4-2): Given; Barton (O'Brien 65 mins), Hughes, Dabizas, Elliott; Solano (Lua Lua, 65), Lee, Speed, Quinn (Bernard, 65); Ameobi, Bellamy.

TROYES (5-3-2): Heurtebis: Hamed, Meniri, Thomas, Leroy, Bradja; Saifi, Rothen, Zavagno; Boutal, Gousse.

Referee: F Treossi (Italy).

Aggregate 4-4. Troyes win on away goals rule.