Olympiakos 1 Newcastle 3Arturo Dauden Ibanez may have been little known on Tyneside before last night, but it is safe to assume that Newcastle fans will now be raising a glass or three in the Spanish referee's honour.
Alan Shearer, Patrick Kluivert and, above all, Laurent Robert played highly significant parts in an unexpected win giving Graeme Souness's side an excellent chance of reaching the Uefa Cup quarter-finals but, by controversially reducing Olympiakos to nine men in the first half, Ibanez arguably did most to secure Newcastle's sixth victory in a row.
It was Olympiakos's first defeat since the Greek champions returned here last summer after a seven-year exile and, in an increasingly incendiary atmosphere, they made it clear they held the referee primarily responsible. Having narrowly escaped being struck by a plastic bottle hurled from the stands at half- time, Ibanez was escorted off by armed police at the end and may not want to return to Athens in a hurry.
Charles N'Zogbia, a Newcastle substitute, was struck on the chest by another bottle at the end. Olympiakos, who have already been ordered to play seven league games behind closed doors this season after unsavoury crowd scenes, now face a Uefa inquiry. "The referee's had a difficult game but nobody's perfect," admitted Souness, whose players deserve plaudits for keeping their heads.
He had dropped the volatile Lee Bowyer and recalled Nicky Butt alongside Amdy Faye in central midfield. After 12 minutes Faye seized possession before dinking the ball forward to Kieron Dyer. Although Antonis Nikopolidis blocked Dyer's initial attempt to round him, the ball rebounded for the midfielder to head wide. But as he did so Dyer was barged by Grigorios Georgatos.
Ibanez immediately issued a red card and awarded a penalty, ignoring vociferous protests from the home players who insisted Georgatos, slow to leave the field, had been involved in an accidental collision. After the delay Shearer sent his spot-kick powerfully into the corner.
Four minutes later Ibanez was awarding another penalty, at the other end. Spotting Andy O'Brien's shirt-pull on Ieroklis Stoltidis, he gave Predrag Djordjevic the opportinity to drive past Shay Given from the spot.
Undeterred, Newcastle regained the lead through Robert's fifth goal of the season from a 25-yard direct free-kick which silenced the home support.
However that did not endure. The noise rose again when Thanassis Kostoulas became the second Olympiakos player to be sent off, albeit less contentiously, for a second bookable offence, a late tackle on Butt.
Souness brought off Robert and James Milner, his replacement, crossed from the left for Kluivert to remind everyone of his talent with a crisp shot home.
OLYMPIAKOS: Nikopolidis, Mavrogenidis, Schurrer, Kostoulas,Anatolakis, Maric, Stoltidis, Djordjevic (Kafes 76), Georgatos, Rivaldo (Giovanni 65), Okkas (Pantos 65). Subs not used: Giannou, Castillo, Vallas, Filipakos. Sent Off: Georgatos (11), Kostoulas (44).Booked: Kostoulas, Djordjevic.Goals: Djordjevic 16 pen.
NEWCASTLE: Given, Carr, Andrew O'Brien, Bramble, Hughes,Dyer (Jenas 60), Butt, Faye (N'Zogbia 84), Robert (Milner 60),Shearer, Kluivert.Subs not used: Harper, Ameobi, Taylor, Bowyer.Booked: Andrew O'Brien, Carr.Goals: Shearer 12 pen, Robert 34, Kluivert 69. Attendance: 33,000.
Referee: Arturo Dauden Ibanez (Spain).
