Magic Martins seals easy ride for Newcastle

Flying high: Martins leaps over the keeper to score
14 April 2012
Newcastle 1 Zulte Wargem 0

(Newcastle won 4-1 on agg)

Newcastle's low shuffle through some of Europe's footballing backwaters should now start to become more interesting.

Victory through a 68th-minute Obafemi Martins chip, his 14th goal of the season, presented them with a 4-1 aggregate win over Zulte Waregem.

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It also earned them a last 16 clash with AZ Alkmaar. The rise from Belgian Cup winners to Louis van Gaal's well-schooled side will be huge.

Alkmaar, third in the Dutch League, gave Fenerbahce a two-goal start last night and still went through, albeit on the away goals rule.

Now is the time for strides to be taken, as Steve McClaren will be able to tell Glenn Roeder. The England coach masterminded one of the most important results of Middlesbrough's run to the UEFA Cup Final last season with a goalless draw at Alkmaar. It did not harm his chances of landing the England job.

Newcastle boss Roeder will undoubtedly turn to McClaren, a spectator at St James' Park last night, for advice. Not that Roeder need defer too much. Newcastle's European adventure began in July. Few predicted then they would be one round from the quarter-finals after 12 games.

Not that there were too many platitudes for last night's display. The UEFA Cup, certainly to this point at least, has lost much of its sparkle and Zulte Waregem have not helped.

Beaten 3-1 at home in the first leg, their coach Francky Drury chose to rest seven players who had started that game. Yet they were more dangerous last night and three times broke through a Newcastle defence that managed to keep its first clean sheet in 18 attempts.

On each occasion, an outstanding intervention from either Titus Bramble or Steven Taylor saved the day. They were Newcastle's two best players by some distance, which would explain the dissatisfaction felt by Roeder.

On the half hour, Bramble excelled with a well-timed sliding tackle on the edge of the area as Sebastien Siani bore down on goal. Ten minutes later Stijne Minne sent Wouter Vandendriessche through on the left but this time a sliding challenge from Taylor saved the home side.

In the final minute, Tim Matthys broke through, evaded a desperate lunge from Matty Pattison and readied to shoot before Bramble again slid in with perfect timing.

Roeder said: "Titus sometimes lacks concentration but it was very good tonight, as it was in the first leg. I was pleased for him but we need to raise the bar. It was patchy.

"Our build-ups were too slow and we made it easy for them to defend. We should have handled their tactics and formations better. There were parts I wasn't happy with."

Early strikes could have changed all that. Taylor had a header cleared off the line in the fourth minute, James Milner struck narrowly over from 25 yards and Kieron Dyer was denied from similar distance with a low strike.

Midway through the second half Damien Duff clipped a pass through to Martins on the left and the Nigerian chipped the advancing Sammy Bossut with a classy finish, his fourth goal in his last four matches.

Roeder said: "The goal from Oba Martins was sheer quality. That is why he cost £10million. People are choking on what they said about him at the start of the season. He has been a terrific buy.

"There is a discussion that Van Gaal is arguably the best coach in the world. He has vast experience of European football. It is something I am really looking forward to."

However there was a warning from Zulte Waregem's Drury. He said: "If you play AZ beware. I am a football coach, Van Gaal is a football master."

NEWCASTLE (4-4-2): Harper; Solano, Taylor, Bramble, Babayaro (Huntington 46min); Milner, Dyer, Butt (Pattison 65), Duff; Martins, Luque (Carroll 65).

Scorer: Martins 68.

ZULTE WAREGEM (4-4-2): Bossut; Minne (Reina 76), D'Haene, Dindeleux, Buysse; Van Steenbrugghe, Van Nieuwenhuyze, Siani (Matthys 56), Vandemarliere; Meert, Van Den Driessche (Sergeant 56).

Booked: Reina.

Man of the match: Steven Taylor.

Referee: Nikolai Ivanov (Russia).

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