Newcastle ease way into last 16

Soccer / UEFA Cup round of 32, second leg / Newcastle 2; Heerenveen 1 (4-2) on aggregate: Newcastle United completed the formality of reaching the last 16 of the competition last night, where they will meet Greek side Olympiakos.

Against Heerenveen, every bit as poor as the Tyneside weather, Newcastle ensured they took an early lead and kept it, though a stupid late handball from Shola Ameobi gifted Arnold Bruggink a penalty which he converted. That prompted a late flurry from the Dutch club, who until then had been compliant victims.

Alan Shearer had scored Newcastle's second to leave him 12 short of Jackie Milburn's club record, but the satisfaction of a third consecutive win for Newcastle had to be tempered by the quality of the opposition. Shearer departed the scene here after 65 minutes in order to save him for the visit of Bolton on Sunday.

Heerenveen actually had the first chance of the game. Klaas Jan Huntelaar, who gave the Dutch club the lead in the first leg, turned Andy O'Brien on the edge of the area and struck a decent shot which Shay Given stretched to parry.

That was in the eighth minute and Heerenveen had achieved their first-half high-point. Two minutes later Newcastle were one up. As the home team broke out of their half, Shearer provided a sweet touch which sent Laurent Robert speeding down the left wing in an acre of space. He then had time to centre the ball and wait patiently. As he reached the byline the Frenchman whipped in a cross and the retreating defender, Michel Breuer, comically sliced the ball past his goalkeeper, Brian Vandenbussche.

That made it 3-1 on aggregate and with the visitors already looking flimsy, it was only a matter of how many Newcastle would score. Carving Heerenveen open at will, there were opportunities for Shola Ameobi, Kieron Dyer, Ameobi again, and then Titus Bramble - all in the 15 minutes before Shearer rammed in the second. His goal was a replica of so many that have gone before, a short free-kick touched to him by Robert, followed by a drilled low shot. Dyer jumped over the ball as it sped to the bottom corner, possibly excusing Vandenbussche for not making a save.

Three minutes after that Ameobi rose to meet Robert's free-kick with a useful header, but the ball clipped the far post. That was that as far as goalmouth action went in the first half. The second half was much the same and if anything it deteriorated, summed up by Ameobi's strange handball. Bruggink struck the penalty kick past Given, meaning Newcastle were beaten over the 45 minutes 1-0.

NEWCASTLE UNITED: Given, Carr, O'Brien (Taylor 78), Bramble, Hughes, Dyer (Jenas 45 mins), Faye, Butt, Robert, Ameobi, Shearer (Milner 65 mins). Subs not used: N'Zogbia, Ambrose, Caig, Ramage. Goals: Breuer 10 og, Shearer 25.

HEERENVEEN: Vandenbussche, Bakkati, Hansson, Breuer (Seip 74 mins), Rzasa, Yildirim, Vayrynen, Radomski, Hestad, Bruggink (Sikora 80 mins), Huntelaar (Samaras 68 mins). Subs not used: Rose, Haarala, Prager, Waterman. Goal: Bruggink 80 pen.

Referee: D Delevic (Serbia & Montenegro)