LONDON -- Athletic Bilbao staged a dramatic comeback Tuesday to keep alive its chances of staying in the UEFA Cup and winning a European trophy for the first time.


The Spanish team was losing 3-0 to unbeaten English League leaders Newcastle United with less than an hour played in their UEFA Cup second round, first leg match, before goals by Jose Angel Ciganda and substitute Gonzalo Suances in the last 20 minutes left the final score 3-2 to the English team.


But those two away goals could prove vital for the Spaniards, who will start the second leg in two week's time with a big psychological advantage. A 1-0 or 2-1 victory would put Athletic through to the third round on the strength of scoring more goals away from home.


Goals from Ruel Fox, a Peter Beardsley penalty and a third from Andy Cole seemed to have wrapped up the game for Newcastle, winners of the old Inter Cities Fairs Cup in 1969, the forerunner of the UEFA Cup.


Bilbao coach Javier Irureta was delighted at the end.


"Even when we were 2-0 down at halftime I thought we were playing well. We still have to get a goal at home and it will be difficult but we must have a good chance if we play the way we did tonight."


Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan said afterwards: "After the first hour the tie was all over.


"But we were a little bit naive and committed suicide in the last half hour."


Aston Villa, England's other team in the competition, was also separated from its opponents by a single goal, but went down 1-0, losing to Trabzonspor of Turkey on the Black Sea.


Villa, who knocked holders Internazionale out of the UEFA Cup in the first round, appeared to have come through the intimidating atmosphere of the Avni Aker Stadium with a well-deserved draw. But 14 minutes from time Orhan Kaynak sent a powerful header rifling into the Villa net.


Real Madrid, UEFA Cup winners in 1985 and 1986, was involved in an eight-minute scoring blitz during their 2-2 draw with Dinamo Moscow, watched by just 7,000 fans in near-freezing temperatures in the Russian capital.


After Sandro put Real ahead in the 21st minute, there was no further scoring until Igor Simutenkov (65th) and Dmitri Cheryshev (69th) scored in quick succession to put Dinamo 2-1 up. Just four minutes after Cheryshev scored, Zamorano made it 2-2.


Deportivo La Coruna completed a night of mixed emotions for Spanish clubs when they went down 2-0 at Innsbruck in Austria.


Bayer Leverkusen, winners of the UEFA Cup in 1988, took a major step toward the last 16 of this year's competition when they scored a 2-0 away win over Kispest Honved in Budapest.


The injury-hit Germans won the first leg with goals from Markus M--nch after 16 minutes and Brazilian Paulo Sergio 10 minutes from time.


But there was no joy for German rivals Borussia Dortmund from their trip to the eastern half of the continent. They lost 2-1 in Slovakia to Slovan Bratislava.


Stefan Rusnak netted both Bratislava goals in the second half to cancel Andreas Moller's 18th-minute strike for Dortmund.


Kaiserslautern, Germany's third representative, was held 1-1 at home by Odense of Denmark.


Of the four French teams involved, only Nantes ended as victors. They beat modest Russian side Tekstilshchik Kamyshin 2-0 with both goals scored by French international striker Nicolas Ouedec.


But there were defeats for 1993 European champions Marseille, who lost 2-0 at Sion in Switzerland and Bordeaux who went down 1-0 to GKS Katowice. Cannes were held to a 1-1 draw at Admira Wacker.


Napoli, UEFA Cup winners in 1989, came through a potentially difficult game with Boavista in Portugal with a 1-1 draw. Bolivian World Cup star Erwin "Platini" Sanchez scored for the home side in the first half, Benito Carbone replied for Napoli in the second.


Italians Lazio also drew. Their match against Trelleborgs of Sweden, the surprise winners over England's Blackburn in the first round, ended scoreless after the Swedes had a Fredrik Sandell goal disallowed in the second half for an offside offense.