Newcastle Utd - 1 Basle - 0 Newcastle United strolled into the third round of the UEFA Cup last night, with this forgettable match serving only as a reminder that the hard work had been done in Basel three weeks ago.
Newcastle are now in the draw on Friday week in which the third-placed Champions League teams come in. After comfortable progress against NAC Breda and Basel - who were expected to offer much more than half an hour's pressure in the first leg - Bobby Robson's players can anticipate meeting something stronger in the last 32.
Before then come Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux tomorrow lunchtime - only 41 hours after kick-off yesterday - and Robson will have been delighted that this mission was accomplished without injuries.
A testing second leg would have left Newcastle vulnerable at Wolves but this was a gentle cruise from the moment the unlucky substitute Boris Smiljanic scored an early own-goal.
Though Basel had more frequent and better opportunities in the game - Shay Given was named man of the match - the visitors were helped considerably by Newcastle's relaxed attitude once they took the lead.
Their determination to avoid Manchester City's fate in Poland was obvious from the first challenge - after 17 seconds - from Alan Shearer on Marco Zwyssig. Shearer was booked for it and Zwyssig soon hobbled off. The unfortunate Smiljanic was his substitute.
Smiljanic was about to have his moment in front of goal but before then Basel had a great chance at the other end.
Hakan Yakin's threat is known throughout Europe but he had a disappointing first leg and when Mario Cantaluppi swung in a 10th-minute corner, Yakin was free at the far post unmarked. He met the bouncing ball on the full but his header flew over from six yards.
A Swiss goal then would have altered the whole tenor of the evening. Instead, Newcastle were able to regroup and just only minutes later took the lead.
As things turned out, it was a Swiss goal. Laurent Robert's deep corner soared over Shearer and the flapping goalkeeper Pascal Zuberbuhler. Blinded by the bodies in front of him, Smiljanic was caught in the crossfire and the ball cannoned off him across his line.
NEWCASTLE: Given, Hughes, O'Brien, Bramble, Bernard, Dyer (Solano 79), Jenas, Speed, Robert (Ambrose 79), Shearer, Ameobi. Subs Not Used: Harper, LuaLua, Woodgate, Stephen Caldwell, Viana. Booked: Shearer. Goals: Smiljanic 14 og.
Basel: Zuberbuhler, Philipp Degen, Quennoz, Zwyssig (Smiljanic 5), Atouba, Barberis (David Degen 53), Cantaluppi, Chipperfield, Hakan Yakin, Rossi (Tum 62), Streller. Subs Not Used: Rapo, Ze Maria, Duruz. Booked: Cantaluppi.
Referee: Knud Fisker (Denmark).
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