Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given was the hero for Newcastle United tonight as French side Troyes threatened to destroy Newcastle's UEFA Cup hopes. Torrential rain soaked the Stade de L'Aube but the 10,000-stribg crowd were thrilled by the home side's efforts to cast aside their underdog tag and give Newcastle a fright.
However, thanks to some outstanding performances from Given, Nikos Dabizas, Rob Lee and Gary Speed, Newcastle are still in with a excellent chance of making the first round of the UEFA Cup when they entertain Troyes in the second leg of this final at St James' Park in a fortnight.
Given proved the hero of the night when he pulled off three brilliant saves to deny the French team a surprise victory. The Irishman kept out close-range efforts from Nicolas Gousse and Farid Ghazi within the opening ten minutes of the game and then saved from Gousse once again a minute before the interval.
Although Magpies boss Bobby Robson was only too aware that Troyes are a good footballing side, even he must have been surprised by how slick they were, particularly in such terrible conditions. The French side dominated the early stages of the game and it looked as if it would only be a matter of time before they would open the scoring. However, good defending from Newcastle restricted the French side to mostly long-rage efforts although they rarely got forward themselves to threaten the home goal.
In the second half, Newcastle shut up shop completely, frustrating Troyes but doing nothing for their own goal-scoring opportunities as they spent long periods under intense pressure from the home side. However, Robson will be relieved his team managed to keep matters on level terms until the final whistle, thus keeping their chances alive going into the second leg.
Meanwhile, in tonight's other Intertoto Cup final, Italian club Brescia held Paris Saint Germain to a 0-0 draw at the Parc des Princes despite the French side dominating throughout. Former Arsenal star Nicolas Anelka and fellow team-mates Aloisio and Augustine Okocha all went close but were unable to break the deadlock while Brescia enjoyed the best chance of the game when former Italian international Roberto Baggio narrowly missed with a free-kick.
In the Champions League third qualifying round, Shak Donetsk were beaten 2-0 at home to Borussia Dortmund and Lokomotiv Moscow defeated Tirol Innsbruck 3-1.
Filed by Amanda Fennelly
