Krul the toast of Newcastle after Metalist win

Having scored the winning penalty as Newcastle United FC forged on to the UEFA Europa League round of 16, Shola Ameobi extolled the virtues of a reliable goalkeeper while FC Metalist Kharkiv midfielder Edmar hoped their exit would not affect their domestic form. Tim Krul made several crucial late saves in Ukraine to preserve Newcastle's place in the competition, and captain Fabricio Coloccini sang the Dutchman's praises too.

Shola Ameobi, Newcastle striker
I thought tactically we were sound today – they didn't really threaten us until 80 minutes. I always felt we were in control and we had a few chances. We got the away goal, which was important – we had talked about that before the game, that it would mean they would have to score two goals and how we could stop them doing that.

There's no doubt going through my mind when I take a penalty. It's a free shot at goal so I just try to step up and put it where I want to put it and fortunately I've never missed one yet. The confidence is always there and will always be there – it's just a matter of applying myself.

Tim goes to another level when he plays like he did in the last ten minutes – he shows how much of a top, top keeper he is and is becoming. He really saved us at the end. Obviously they were always going to pile on the pressure and sometimes you need to rely on your keeper. Tim never lets us down and he took a knock today for the cause, but he was magnificent.

Fabricio Coloccini, Newcastle defender
The first goal was very important because when we scored we knew they had to score twice, so it was very important and gave us confidence.

We are lucky to have [Tim Krul] – he is a very good keeper and we have to enjoy when we play games and we know we have him behind us. The priority is [the next] game so yesterday this was the priority and now it is Southampton on Sunday.

Edmar, Metalist midfielder
We showed too much respect for our opponents, as we let them control the game. After their goal we started to play the football which they were expecting us to play. We created a lot of chances, but the Newcastle goalkeeper played a really great match. You can pick out many reasons for our defeat, but I would like to say one simple thing – Newcastle were the better side tonight.

It's a real pity to lose but we promise that will work hard to make our supporters and our new owner happy. We need to concentrate on our league games and it's important not to let this defeat get us down. We need to forget this match as soon as possible. We need to continue our work, avoiding unpleasant surprises. That is what our coach told us in dressing room after the game.

Sebastián Blanco, Metalist midfielder
What happens in football is very simple – the team that scores the most takes it all. We made a terrible mistake, which was exploited to the maximum by our opponents. After that we created many opportunities, but the Newcastle goalkeeper did brilliantly.

After the game in England, both teams knew each other very well and that is why we were a little bit afraid to play open football in the beginning, as were our opponents. No one wanted to risk it in the first half. The Newcastle goal didn't ruin our hopes. In some ways it even whipped us up, but we failed to make our chances count.