Marseille 2 Newcastle 0

In a balmy evening at the Stade Velodrome, Newcastle failed to find either rhythm or cohesion in a game in which the French hosts played with greater pace, passion and quality than their English counterparts.

In Drogba Marseille have the competition's outstanding performer and he did his reputation little harm with a striking display of both power and poise.

Newcastle began the half as they finished - hurried and incoherent - with Andy O'Brien's rash challenge in the tenth minute symptomatic of a performance that lacked guile.

The Irishman's challenge ruled him out of any potential final but it was teammate Aaron Hughes who was involved in the game's opening goal - although in fairness it owed more to the exquisite confidence of Drogba than the inadequacy of the defender.

An inventive Newcastle free-kick fed Oliver Bernard down the left channel but when his cross was cleared, Marseille broke with scintillating pace and Bobby Robson's men offered little resistance.

A simple ball fed Drogba down the right flank and the forward was away - attacking Hughes with intent. A glorious turn in the Newcastle box wrong-footed the defender and then the striker delicately poked past an exposed Shay Given.

Newcastle, clearly missing the pace of Kieron Dyer and Craig Bellamy and the drive of Jermaine Jenas, struggled to get a foothold in the match and could have been further down in the twentieth minute when Steve Marlet rounded Given but found the angle too acute.

Camel Meriem down the left flank and Ferriera on the opposite channel never allowed Newcastle to settle and it was Marseille who dominated a half which had pockets of good play but few real chances.

Newcastle's sole response was a half-hearted penalty appeal when Shola Ameobi tripped himself up in the Marseille box.

The second period saw Newcastle up the tempo and begin to put their hosts under some kind of pressure - with Ameobi creating a chance for himself by dropping a shoulder in the box and powering a drive just over.

Alan Shearer, peripheral throughout, then had a legitimate penalty appeal turned down when his header hit the hand of a French defender - although it would have been a harsh award.

However, it was then Marseille who settled into a period of ascendancy - with first a rejuvenate Steve Marlet going close with a sublime volley and then dangerman Drogba being thwarted smartly by Given when charging goalwards.

Newcastle's attacks were sporadic but spirited and in the 76th minute one such foray nearly resulted in a decisive away goal.

Darren Ambrose, enjoying a better second period, swung a cross deep that Ameobi rose to head across goal but substitute Lee Bowyer could only steer his effort wide of Fabien Barthez' goal.

Five minutes later and the game was over. A freekick wide on the left hand side of Newcastle's box was steered into the path of a criminally unmarked Drogba and the striker was allowed to power home with precision for his 11th goal in this season's Uefa Cup.

Drogba could then have completed his hat-trick when well placed - before being replaced in the final minute to rapturous applauds - which will not go unnoticed in the boardrooms of Europe's biggest clubs.