Newcastle United’s return to the Champions League against Barcelona this week inevitably brought back memories of a very different outcome almost three decades ago.
The Magpies were beaten 2-1 at St James’ Park on Thursday, but the build-up to the game was marked by a reminder of one of the club’s greatest European nights.
Faustino Asprilla, who was invited back for a tribute on the pitch, spoke earlier to Blog Deportivo about the historic match in September 1997 when he hit a hat-trick to beat Barcelona 3-2 in what was Newcastle’s first ever campaign in the competition.
“The first Champions League this club played was that one, and that’s when that beautiful, spectacular game happened, where they beat a Barcelona full of stars. Nobody believed the match would end like that. Year after year, when the Champions League starts, that game comes to everyone’s mind in Newcastle. That’s why I’m here,” he recalled.
Asprilla also highlighted how the gestures of appreciation he receives in England and Italy stand in contrast to what has happened back home.
“I’ve had tributes in Newcastle and also in Parma. Other than that, nothing. In Colombia, nobody has done that, not Nacional, not Cúcuta, and much less Cortuluá,” he said.
While Eddie Howe’s side could not recreate that famous night and instead fell to defeat, Asprilla’s words ensured that the memories of 1997 remained at the centre of the occasion for a few nostalgic fans.
