Alan Shearer's late double gave Newcastle United a 2-0 victory against ZTS Dubnica and sealed their place in the Intertoto Cup semi-finals.
Shearer leapt highest to nod home James Milner's corner in the 76th minute of the match and then scored his second in the last minute from Stephen Carr's free-kick.
Shearer's brace gave them a 5-1 aggregate win and a meeting with the victors of the tie between Deportivo La Coruna of Spain and Slaven Koprivnica of Croatia.
Boss Graeme Souness has not tried to hide his displeasure at having to use the maligned summer tournament in order to claim a lucrative UEFA Cup berth.
But besides Shearer's strikes he took the opportunity to give Jermaine Jenas and Lee Bowyer their first tastes of competitive action this term.
Jenas was withdrawn at half-time after a useful 45 minute warm-up while Bowyer continued to scurry all afternoon as if trying to prove to his doubting boss that his future remains very much on Tyneside.
Indeed Bowyer made the first mark in a game distinctly lacking in urgency after Newcastle's comprehensive 3-1 success in the first match in Slovakia a week ago.
The midfielder set up the lively Charles N'Zogbia on the left, whose cross was cleared from the Dubnica box by Robert Novak.
Novak was also on hand four minutes later to half-clear a cross from James Milner before Matej Izvolt denied Shearer a shooting chance with a block on the edge of the six yard box.
Another N'Zogbia cross went astray and Jenas blazed a right-foot shot over from the edge of the box before Bowyer set up Shearer with a 13th-minute chance.
The veteran striker turned on a low through-ball in the box but could only stab his shot narrowly wide of keeper Dusan Pernis' right-hand post.
Souness' hope of an early goal to snuff out the slightest threat of a dramatic revival was not forthcoming as his side continued to look sluggish in the final third against limited opponents.
Indeed the visitors created a chance of their own in the 19th minute when Igor Drzik set up a chance for Peter Kiska who bobbled a weak effort straight at Given.
Milner was denied by a fine save from Pernis in the 21st minute when he was sent clear by Bowyer and hit a low left-foot shot from the edge of the box.
Three minutes later, Jenas' 25-yard free-kick hit the underside of the bar and bounced down only for Amdy Faye to head the rebound wide of his target.
And with the home side finally starting to get things together, Jenas was again denied by a point-blank save by Pernis after stealing to the edge of the six-yard box unmarked.
Souness replaced Jenas at half-time with Michael Chopra, who had scored his first senior goal for the club in the first leg but endured a more miserable afternoon this time around.
Before he had even touched the ball Chopra was involved in a collision with keeper Pernis which required him to exit the pitch on a stretcher.
Although Chopra returned to the action he was forced to give up after another 15 minutes and was replaced by fellow substitute Martin Brittain.
Dubnica stole forward through Peter Kiska on the hour mark, finishing his run with a rising shot which the acrobatic Given did well to tip over the bar.
N'Zogbia finally fashioned an overdue chance for Newcastle after cutting in from the left and unleashing a cross-cum-shot which flashed across the face of goal.
Then Milner's cross was just missed by Bowyer in the box as the home side finally began to exert a bit of pressure.
Shearer's goal had an air of inevitability about it and the second was almost inevitable, coming in almost identical fashion from Carr's looping free-kick from the right flank.
