Sport 25-02-2005 European Football Round-Up who: Newcastle United what: Qualify for last 16 of UEFA Cup by beating Heerenveen 2-1 (4-2 on aggregate) where: St James` Park, NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE when: Thursday night snippet: Newcastle skipper Alan Shearer was, as always, the hero of Tyneside when he scored his side`s second goal on Thursday night to secure Newcastle United a place in the last 16 of the UEFA Cup. The Magpies will next play Olympiakos after beating the "feeble" Dutch team Heerenveen 2-1 at St James` Park (4-2 on aggregate), says The Telegraph`s Rob Stewart. And it was good news, too, for Middlesbrough, who beat Graz AK 2-1 (4-3 on aggregate) on Thursday, thanks to a second-half strike from Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, to set up an encounter with Sporting Lisbon. But in the Champions` League, England`s teams have set themselves uphill work. Liverpool did best this week, looking invincible against Bayer Leverkusen at Anfield on Tuesday night, but then needlessly conceding a goal thanks to an error by Polish international goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek which left the score 3-1 and gives the Germans a glimmer of hope for the second leg at home. And Germany was the scene of a crushing defeat for the once invincible Arsenal that night as Bayern Munich beat them 3-1 - a score which "flattered them," reckons The Mirror`s chief sports writer, Oliver Holt. "It should have been 5-0." "This was a depressing Arsenal display in every respect, given an undeserved gloss when [Kolo Touré] scored in the 89th minute," agrees The Guardian`s Jon Brodkin, reporting from the Olympiastadion. "The defender owed his team after his errors and the potential significance of that goal will be lost on neither side. It means a 2-0 victory for Arsenal at Highbury two weeks from today will suffice." Meanwhile, "a costly mistake from [goalkeeper] Roy Carroll handed AC Milan the advantage in their tie with a narrow win at Old Trafford," says the BBC. "Carroll spilled Clarence Seedorf`s strike late in the game and Hernan Crespo converted from short range." The Guardian`s Dominic Fifield says manager Sir Alex Ferguson is pinning his hopes on a repeat of 1999`s mariculous comeback against Juventus, when United turned a 2-0 deficit into a 4-3 victory on aggregate. Chelsea are no longer capable of winning an historic "quadruple" in the Premiership, Champion`s League, FA Cup and League Cup after losing to Newcastle United in the FA Cup Fifth Round on Sunday and they lost their second consecutive game when they crossed paths with Barcelona. Ivory Coast international Didier Drogba was harshly sent off for a second yellow card offence, dooming the ten-man side to a 2-1 defeat which could well leave them depending on the away goal that came courtesy of Juliano Belletti finding his own net in the 33rd minute. [... more]

What The Papers Say is delivered to thousands of readers every morning by web, WAP and email. Sign up today!