FORMER Prime Minister Golda Meir once described Israel as the 'Land of Miracles' but for the part-timers of Hapoel Bnei Sakhnin the fairytale is over.

The Israeli side showed plenty of spirit against Newcastle in the second leg of their UEFA Cup first round tie last night. But ultimately the firepower of Alan Shearer and Patrick Kluivert was enough to keep the Magpies' European hopes alive.

Kluivert grabbed a first-half double to add to the brace he had scored in the first leg, while Shearer went one better with a hat-trick to earn United a straightforward success.

Congolese international Alain Masudi had given the Israeli minnows a brief moment of hope in the 13th minute, but his goal proved little more than a footnote to an accomplished Magpies display.

Graeme Souness' side might be arriving back into England with a few bumps and bruises this morning, but after being exposed to yet more midfield provocation their superior status eventually told.

Newcastle will hope that their UEFA Cup campaign takes them the length and breadth of the continent over the next eight months.

But no matter how successful they are this season, they are unlikely to make a more demanding journey than the 5,000 mile round trip to Tel Aviv.

Sakhnin might not have travelled as far in a geographical sense, but last night's game marked the end of one of the most remarkable footballing journeys Europe has ever seen.

Israel's only Arabic side do not even have a ground of their own but, despite an annual budget that would barely cover Newcastle's monthly wage bill, Sakhnin's players had earned the right to host some of the most famous names in the game.

Much of the build-up to last night's encounter had focused on the politics of Israeli Arab identity. But for Newcastle at least, the over-riding objective was progression into the second round of the UEFA Cup.

Souness' team selection proved as much, with the United boss choosing not to rest Craig Bellamy, despite last weekend's knock on his ankle.

The Wales international started on the right of midfield, while Laurent Robert was recalled to the opposite flank in the absence of the suspended Nicky Butt.

Butt had been sent off as the first leg descended into little more than a kicking contest and, after promising they would employ similarly physical tactics last night, Sakhnin's game plan was unveiled after just 90 seconds.

The first tackle of the game saw midfielder Khaled Khalaila dump Bellamy on his backside.

But just as an early Kluivert goal had settled United nerves on Tyneside, so the Dutch international was again on hand to fire his side ahead in the ninth minute.

An intelligent one-two with Jermaine Jenas ended with the midfielder back-heeling the ball into his path, and Kluivert showed all of his European experience to roll a delicate side-foot into the bottom left-hand corner of the net.

With Newcastle three Kluivert goals to the good, that should really have been that against a Sakhnin side who had failed to record a single shot on target in the first leg. But, incredibly, the visitors' second-leg lead lasted just four minutes before their age-old defensive failings contributed to a Sakhnin leveller.

The returning Aaron Hughes was turned inside-out on the right touchline and, after Ahmed Kassom rolled a low centre across the face of the six-yard box, Masudi was left completely unmarked to sweep home from close range.

Buoyed by their success, Sakhnin's attackers initially made things difficult for a Newcastle side repeatedly being carved open down their left flank.

The over-eager tackling continued - two Sakhnin players made their way into the referee's notebook in the space of three energy-charged first-half minutes - and, for a while, the gulf in class between the sides was difficult to ascertain.

In United's defence, it is hard to impress when the opposition is intent on trying to kick you off the park. While gamesmanship is part and parcel of football, a stronger referee might well have dismissed Kassom for an outrageous body check on Olivier Bernard.

His decision not to did not unduly affect the outcome of the game, with Newcastle tying things up with two goals in the space of four minutes before the break.

Lee Bowyer's tame shot from the left channel should have presented no problems to Energy Murambadoro, but the Sakhnin goalkeeper spilled the ball into Shearer's path, and the Newcastle skipper gleefully rammed home the 350th goal of his club career.

Shortly afterwards it was 3-1, with Robert embarking on a jinking midfield run before teeing Kluivert up on the edge of the box for another clinical finish into the same bottom corner he had hit half an hour earlier.

It was more of the same after the break, with Newcastle gradually overwhelming their increasingly dispirited opponents.

Shearer grabbed his second from the penalty spot in the 52nd minute after Masudi had rightly been penalised for clipping the heels of the probing Jenas.

And Bellamy almost added a fifth midway through the second half with an acrobatic volley that forced a fine tumbling save from Murambadoro.

Much of Newcastle's second-half play came on the counter-attack, with Bellamy given licence to roam and both Jenas and Bowyer finding gaps from which to burst forward.

But, with the game won, the visitors were largely content to rest on their laurels with a weekend trip to Birmingham looming large.

Kassom almost made them pay six minutes from time - substitute goalkeeper Steve Harper making a fine low save - before Sakhnin were reduced to ten men with two minutes left. Murambadoro handled outside his penalty area with Bellamy galloping clear.

Shearer then walked off with the match ball after provided a fitting finale with an injury-time curler that flew past stand-in stopper Khalaila.

Result: Hapoel Bnei Sakhnin 1 Newcastle United 5. (Newcastle win 7 - 1 on agg.).

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