Newcastle United Under-19s claimed a battling win against AC Milan’s youth side on Wednesday.
The Magpies’ teenagers were in fine form, coming from behind to win 3-1 on the day.
Mattia Liberali’s opener stunned the Magpies, but they remained calm and got back in the game.
Travis Hernes and Cathal Heffernan got two quick goals to give Newcastle a lead they never gave up.
Heffernan, who left Milan last summer, told nufc.co.uk: “I think we deserved it. If you look back at the first game against Milan, losing 4-0, I don’t think we gave a good account of ourselves. To come back and win 3-1 today after winning against PSG in our previous match is just what we deserved because I feel the work we’ve put in behind the scenes has paid off.
“If you look at our recent games, we always come out stronger in the second half and I think, although we started well in the first half today, I think our second half performance always makes us better in the games.
“We needed to sharpen us a few things defensively and in midfield and I thought we did that in the second half as everything changed. I didn’t feel there were many clear-cut chances in the game but when you get them, you just have to take them which we did.
“It’s been brilliant to play in this competition. These are the games you want to play in against the best teams and goals are a bonus for me. As long as I get to play in these fixtures, that’s all that matters to me.”
