Robson's rage at Bellamy blunder

Sir Bobby Robson described Craig Bellamy's sending off as "irresponsible and unprofessional" after Newcastle United FC's 4-1 defeat against Internazionale FC in Group A of the UEFA Champions League's second group stage in front of 50,108 fans at St James' Park.

'Cruel start'
Sir Bobby's side were already a goal down when the Welsh international received his marching orders after five minutes for kicking Marco Materazzi in an off-the-ball incident. "I'll only use two words, because it's an internal matter," Robson said. "But it was irresponsible and unprofessional and because of that the club have suffered. We got off to the most cruel start imaginable."

'Lowest point'
Bellamy himself, talking to uefa.com as part of what he described as "a grieving process", also expressed his regret. "I'm really disappointed," he said. "I reacted, I've let everyone down - my manager, the players, the fans who've come to watch the game. It's probably the lowest point I've ever had in football. It's going to take a while to get over this one."

'Great confidence'
In contrast to the unhappy Newcastle camp, Inter coach Héctor Cúper expressed his delight at the performance of his charges, saying that his side had played with "great confidence". Thanks to a combination of Bellamy’s red card and a consumately professional performance by Cúper's side, Inter were three goals to the good by the break.

Trio decisive
The wily Argentinian coach made seven changes to the side that lost 1-0 against city rivals AC Milan at the weekend and the trio of his countrymen that he brought back - captain Javier Zanetti, midfield player Matías Almeyda and forward Hernán Crespo - all made invaluable contributions as Inter marked their 258th game in European competition with a comfortable win.

Top scorer
"When they are in good form they make the difference," said Cúper of his returning heroes. Indeed, for Zanetti laid on the opening goal for Domenico Morfeo in the second minute, Almeyda struck an excellent second from 20 metres on 35 minutes and Crespo’s clinical finish on the stroke of half-time put the game beyond the hosts' reach and also saw him move clear at the top of this season's Champions League goalscoring charts with nine goals.

Cúper philosophical
After his side's derby defeat in Serie A, some sections of the media suggested that Cúper's time at the Inter helm might be up, but he remained as philosophical in victory as he has been in defeat in the past. "When the team wins it keeps everyone happy," he said. "You shouldn't over-dramatise it when you lose or over-celebrate when you win."

Robson proud
For all Inter's first-half dominance, Newcastle rallied well after the break. "I'm proud of my players," Sir Bobby insisted. "In between the three goals we were every bit as good as them and in the second half I thought we were better than them." The half-time introduction of Laurent Robert certainly inspired some spirited attacking play from the hosts. "We needed someone to pick the ball up and have a go at Zanetti," Robson added, "He did a good job for us." Robert's most striking contribution was to set up Nolberto Solano's goal, which briefly gave Newcastle hope before substitute Alvaro Recoba's curling shot put the result beyond any possible doubt.