An own goal has given Newcastle United a 1-0 win over third-tier American side Sacramento Republic in a trying pre-season friendly for the Premier League club this morning.
Steve McClaren's side suffered a number of scares early on against their lowly counterparts, who play in the USL - the English equivalent to League One.
Republic continued to threaten and Rodrigo Lopes forced goalkeeper Tim Krul into a smart save on 33 minutes as the Magpies struggled to develop a foothold.
The hosts finished the half comfortably on top and would have gone into the break ahead if not for Krul, who denied Thomas Stewart twice in the closing minutes.
Despite their first-half dominance, the California-based side fell behind on 49 minutes when James Kiffe volleyed Massadio Haidara's cross past his own keeper.
Sacramento had the ball in the net shortly after only for it to be ruled out for offside, but the hosts were given a boost in their pursuit of an equaliser when Haidara was sent off for a foul on Danny Barrera.
Goalkeeper Andy Woodman - who replaced Krul at the break - found himself as busy as his predecessor by producing a series of impressive stops to preserve United's slender lead.
However, 10-man United rode their luck in the end to earn a hard-fought victory.
Shane Callaghan
