Five special moments that Newcastle United fans would love to relive again

#5 The 3-2 win over Barcelona in the Champions League

Football historians have often blamed the signing of Colombian striker Faustino Asprilla for the collapse of Newcastle’s title hopes in 1995/96, arguing that his arrival disrupted the balance in the squad and that he wasn’t really needed anyway given striker Les Ferdinand was on fire himself. Regardless of those types of feeling though, Newcastle fans will always have a soft spot for Asprilla due to his performance two seasons later in a Champions League game against Barcelona.

35,274 fans turned up at St. James’s for the game, as the season was the first time that the Champions League had been expanded to include domestic league runners-up like Newcastle and so it was a big occasion for the Geordie faithful. They may have expected a tough game from a Barcelona side that featured the likes of Luis Figo, Luis Enrique and Rivaldo, but instead, the Catalans were torn apart in the first half by Asprilla, inspirational captain Rob Lee, and the mercurial Irish winger Keith Gillespie.

Asprilla scored a penalty after 26 minutes and then headed in two Gillespie crosses on 30 minutes and then 49 minutes. The game was essentially over, but despite Kevin Keegan having left the club well over a season beforehand, the gung-ho style of the Magpies still remained and somehow they allowed Barcelona to come back, scoring 2 goals and then relying on the heroics of goalkeeper Shay Given to ensure the score remained 3-2 to seal a famous victory.

While Newcastle went out of the tournament in the group stage eventually, no Geordie fan would ever forget such a night – and they may well believe they’ll never see another one like it again.