Tuesday night’s match at St James’ Park is a fixture that instantly transports those of a certain generation back to September 1997 and the night Faustino Asprilla rose as high as the decibel count to register a Newcastle hat-trick that sent visitors Barcelona home, bemused and defeated.
It was Newcastle’s first game in the Champions League proper, and the anticipation was tangible. “It is arguably the biggest-ever football night in the city,” began one Tyneside newspaper preview.
It was always going to be memorable. Asprilla scoring in the 22nd, 31st and 48th minutes to put Newcastle three goals up — they eventually won 3-2 — made it unforgettable. St James’ Park’s capacity was 36,600 then, 16,000 less than it is today, but the noise the crowd generated made the attendance seem twice that. When referee Pierluigi Collina, whose mere presence was a sign of the evening’s status at continental level, blew the final whistle, all bar the Catalan contingent left the stadium drained as well as elated.
“I was made for nights like this,” Asprilla recalled a few years ago, and few have sought to debate the maverick Colombian’s judgement.
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