Martins fires Magpies through

Tom_Nufc · Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 10:07 pm

Newcastle eased into the last 16 of the Uefa Cup with a 1-0 victory over Zulte-Waregem at St James' Park.

Leading 3-1 from the first leg in Belgium, there was never any real danger of their advantage being overturned by a spirited but limited Zulte side.

But The Magpies struggled throughout and Obafemi Martins's fine finish deep into the second half was a rare moment of quality in an uninspiring encounter.

Newcastle almost took an early lead when Steven Taylor saw a header cleared off the line by Stijn Meert, before James Milner struck a powerful effort just over the crossbar from the edge of the area.

The rest of the first half was more frustrating for Newcastle though, as they struggled to carve open the Belgian side's organised defence.

Zulte almost pressed the self-destruct button after falling behind at home last week, but there was a sense of purpose about their play that suggested they would make Newcastle work for their place in the next round

9nufc9 · Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 2:22 am

I had to leave for school after the 60 minute mark so i didn't get to hear the goal. Was a pretty dour affair up until then to be honest.

Bring on AZ, they'll be tough to break down, but definately not impossible to beat.