Newcastle United 1 - 4 Internazionale

False starts and Newcastle United are nothing new but even by their own complicated European standard, Sir Bobby Robson's team fell flat on their face last night.

Newcastle still had one foot in the blocks when Domenico Morfeo scored Internazionale's opening goal after 66 seconds and though that it is the sort of unstable situation from which Robson's team had recovered before, Newcastle had their head on the block when Craig Bellamy was sent off less than four minutes later.

Bellamy retaliated after being incited by the defender Marco Materazzi, and was shown a straight red card. The Welshman is likely to be banned for three matches, or even more, just as he was in the first group stage.

Newcastle came back from that setback to qualify but last night there was no return once Matias Almeyda scored a searing second. Or so it seemed. Hernan Crespo had made it 3-0 before half-time, but Nolberto Solano got a deserved consolation with 18 minutes left. Then Alvaro Recoba came off the bench and sent a spectacular shot soaring past Shay Given to restore the margin and end the contest.

That was bad enough, but Alan Shearer will now face an anxious wait to see if Uefa uses TV evidence to try to demonstrate that he elbowed Fabio Cannavaro during a dramatic first half.

Such evidence was used against Bellamy after a comparable confrontation in Kiev during Newcastle's opening game in the first group phase. Given that their next game is Barcelona away - and the Catalans won 2-1 at Bayer Leverkusen to make it seven wins out of seven - it would be a huge ask for Newcastle without their first-choice strikers.

Robson and his players may have gained a reputation for staging comebacks over the past year and a half, but both had emphasised the necessity of a solid start last night.

Some hope. Within five minute they were one down in terms of both the scoreline and personnel. The goal came first, and once again owed much to a Newcastle defensive calamity.

Javier Zanetti, the Inter captain, initiated it with a break down the right. Zanetti ap peared to have overrun the ball, though, when Nikos Dabizas lunged in. The Greek missed, however, and Zanetti surged on. He crossed once he reached the box and though the ball was too far behind Crespo for him to get more than a touch on it, Morfeo arrived at the far post to drive the ball high beyond Given.

As dispiriting beginnings go this was right up there with Newcastle's recent shockers. But it was to get even worse. A Newcastle attack had petered out, and the referee's whistle had gone, when Materazzi and Bellamy tangled as they waited for the ball to come down in the Inter area. Materazzi leant into Bellamy as the two men made contact.

Bellamy was annoyed by this and seemed to throw an arm out. When the Welshman followed that with a kick at Materazzi's ankle, the Italian fell to the turf. The referee had not seen the incident but the linesman had. He presumably said that Bellamy lashed out violently, and suddenly the red card was produced.

Bellamy trudged off, a mixture of disbelief and grim realisation. He was to watch the rest of the game from the tunnel. Materazzi, who had scored an own goal in an FA Cup tie for Everton here in 1999, departed soon after, injured rather than because of a card.

The activity relented for a few seconds but when the match resumed its frantic pace Newcastle were two down and could have been two men down had the officials had the benefit of TV replays.

Dabizas had gone close with a header from a free-kick and when the next one came in after 24 minutes, Shearer clashed with the Inter centre-half Cannavaro. The Italian was manhandling Shearer as they waited for Solano to swing the ball in and in wrestling to break free, the former England striker caught Cannavaro with his right elbow.

Shearer stayed on the pitch but it was to see Inter score two more before the interval. First Almeyda scored with a 25-yard screamer and then in first half injury-time Aaron Hughes missed a tackle on Okan, whose low centre was swept in by Crespo at the near post.

The second half had a lot to live up to. On came Laurent Robert for Viana and the Frenchman delivered a couple of early inswingers that rather surprisingly had Inter panicking. And then Dabizas nearly pulled a goal back in the 51st minute, when Francesco Toldo had to claw away the Greek's header.

To their credit it was the 10 men who were taking it to Inter and when Robert threaded a pass to Solano,. the Peruvian scored calmly. But try as they did there was no Newcastle comeback last night.

Newcastle United (4-4-2) Given; Griffin, O'Brien, Dabizas, Hughes (Caldwell, 86); Solano, Dyer, Speed, Viana (Robert, h-t); Bellamy, Shearer.

Solano 72

Internazionale (4-4-2) Toldo; Zanetti, Materazzi (Cordoba 15) Cannavaro, Pasquale; Okan (Dalmat, 65), Morfeo, Almeyda, Emre; Vieri, Crespo (Recoba, 80).

Morfeo 2, Almeyda 35, Crespo 45, Recoba 81

Referee : S. Bre (France).