published: thursday 14 march 2013, 23.38cet newcastle united fc 1-0 fc anji makhachkala (agg: 1-0)
papiss cissé's added-time winner helped the magpies steal a quarter-finals spot with a narrow win against opponents down to ten men.
papiss cissé's header deep into added time earned newcastle united fc a place in the uefa europa league quarter-finals following a dramatic 1-0 win against an fc anji makhachkala side down to ten men for 35 minutes.
the crossbar was still rattling at the other end from mbark boussoufa's free-kick when the premier league team, who had been under pressure for much of the first half, delivered the deadly blow. sylvain marveaux cut back on his left foot on the right flank and delivered a perfect centre for cissé to rise, unmarked, and plant a header back across the prone vladimir gabulov and inside the far post.
ıf guus hiddink's men had shown little of their attacking potential during the goalless first leg in moscow, they dominated the opening period here. slipped in by andrei eschenko, samuel eto'o uncharacteristically dragged a good chance wide on his 100th appearance in uefa competition. only a succession of impressive blocks from steven taylor helped newcastle survive the barrage of goalbound efforts in one particularly frenetic spell.
taylor typified the resilience of a back line that has now kept four successive uefa europa league clean sheets, and despite the home fans' concerns – lent weight when captain yohan cabaye limped off eight minutes before half-time – that defence reached the interval unbreached.
galvanised by the break, newcastle began to find their rhythm. concerted pressure saw moussa sissoko head over after a neat move and taylor scuff an inviting loose ball into gabulov's arms following a free-kick. the momentum swung further newcastle's way when mehdi carcela-gonzález picked up a second yellow card on 55 minutes; the cue for alan pardew's team to start attacking in droves.
newcastle created a wealth of opportunities, but it was their goal that saw the brunt of the action as rob elliot beat away eto'o's near-post blast and boussoufa battered the crossbar. the last act of an entertaining match was still to come, though.
