20
CONTINENTAL
TRAVELS
GIRLS, GUNS
AND GOALS
TINO ASPRILLA// BY STEVE WRAITH
THE 1996-97 UEFA CUP //PETER MANN
The Newcastle United side of the
mid-nineties, Kevin Keegan’s side,
the Entertainers, took Europe by
both surprise and by storm, on
more than one occasion.
Having had four UEFA Cup outings
two seasons before, the Magpies
wanted more and they received that
when they qualified for the 1997
European campaign courtesy of a
fifth place league finish the season
before. Then, in the summer prior to
the campaign beginning, the HallKeegan factor brought in £15 million
record signing, Alan Shearer, to add
to the attacking prowess already at
the club’s disposal. Shearer would
join the likes of Peter Beardsley and
David Ginola, Les Ferdinand and
Faustino Asprilla. And, prior to that
one night in Barcelona, this was to be
‘Tinos tournament.’
In reaching the quarter finals the
goals that were netted by Faustino
Hernan Asprilla Hinestroza saw him
finish behind Ganz of Inter, Ikpeba
from United’s eventual conquerors
Monaco, and Meller of Brondby, it
was to be a European campaign
never to be forgotten from the
enigmatic, Colombian frontman.
Asprilla bagged five in this European
adventure.
Keegan, and United’s cavalier
approach, was at it from the off, even
though the attendance from the
opening match was to be the lowest
home gate of the season, registering
under 35,000. Their opponents in the
first round arrived in the shape of
Swedish part-timers, Halmstads BK;
they were destroyed.
The United manager went for
an all-out 3-4-3 formation and the
visitors had no answer to the threat
that was posed. ‘Sir Les’ opened the
scoring with a customary header
inside five minutes alongside later
finishes from centre-half Philippe
Albert, and the evergreen Peter
Beardsley with a delicate chip into
Faustino Asprilla
scores his second
goal for Newcastle
United against Metz
the left corner of the net from the
far right of the box, as only he
could. The pick of the bunch though
came from the man of the moment
as Asprilla fired home a flying
volley from a deep Ginola cross and
giving Nordberg no chance in the
Halmstads goal.
The tie was all but won with a 4-0
first leg success and United took
their foot of the gas in the return
fixture in Sweden. Ferdinand would
open the scoring with a volley for the
visiting Magpies to open up a five
goal lead just before the interval.
Two late, second half Halmstads
goals, from Arvidsson and Svensson,
gave the underdogs a 2-1 second leg
victory, United taking the tie 5-2 on
aggregate.
Flashback to the success of 1969
saw United pitted against Hungarian
champions, Ferencvaros, in the
second round and fans would be
treated to a five goal thriller in the
Ulloi Ut Stadium, the hosts claiming
a 3-2, first leg lead. Keeper Srnicek
seemed edgy in the Hungarian
cauldron and it showed, united being
two down inside ten minutes. By the
interval though the Magpies were
level courtesy of their twin terrors,
messers Ferdinand and Shearer;
Lisztes though would net his second
and the hosts third, early in the
second half. Come the return, and
a balmy night in October, it was to
be a memorable European night for
the hosts.
Asprilla was on fire, Ginola was
majestic, United hitting four without
reply for the second European tie
in succession. Beardsley missed a
penalty before Tino struck either side
of the interval, and then came the
coup de grace, a moment of sublime
majesty etched into United’s history
from the mercurial Frenchman,
David Ginola. Goalkeeper Szeiler
punched away Gillespie’s corner as
far as the edge of the box and, before
the defence had recovered, Ginola
controlled, evaded a challenge,
switched to his left and fired a
rasping shot into the top right corner.
Ferdinand then tapped the fourth
in injury time to seal an incredible,
come from behind, 6-3 aggregate win.
Then came the French, and, with
United bereft with injuries for
1969 is best known for man
taking his first steps on the moon,
the birth of Monty Python and
Newcastle United Football Club
winning a piece of silverware, it
was also the year that Faustino
Hernán “Tino” Asprilla Hinestroza
was born.
He was brought up in Tulua an
impoverished city in Coulmbia
and was playing football from an
early age. He started out at Carlos
Sarmiento Lora School and was
picked up at the age of 18 by C X