Newcastle Vs Qarabag Fk: Rapid Night at St James' Park Seals Last-16 Spot as Other Play-offs Deliver Shocks
In Champions League play-offs for a last-16 spot, newcastle vs qarabag fk ended with Newcastle winning 3-2 at St James' Park, sealing a 9-3 aggregate victory. The result confirmed Newcastle into the last 16 and came on a night that also saw other decisive results across the play-off schedule.
Newcastle Vs Qarabag Fk — Match report
Newcastle cruised into the last 16 after another victory against Qarabag. The game opened explosively: Sandro Tonali scored in the fourth minute after Mateusz Kochalski parried William Osula's header into Tonali's path, which produced the Italian's first ever goal in the competition. A couple of minutes later Harvey Barnes delivered a cross that Joelinton met on the volley to make it two early goals for the hosts.
Key moments and goals
Qarabag fought back after half-time. Camilo Durán skipped away from Dan Burn and finished past Aaron Ramsdale, giving the travelling support a memorable moment after a mammoth 2, 500-mile journey. Sven Botman then headed home from Kieran Trippier's corner to restore Newcastle's seven-goal aggregate cushion. Later, Qarabag were awarded a penalty when Dan Burn handled in the box; Ramsdale kept out Marko Jankovic's spot-kick but Cəfərquliyev (Elvin Cafarguliyev) reacted quickest to convert the follow-up.
Players, selections and reactions
Eddie Howe named a much-changed Newcastle side, making seven changes from the previous match. The 21-year-old Irish defender Alex Murphy was handed his first start at left-back and later shared his reaction to making his Champions League debut. Newcastle's leading Champions League scorer Anthony Gordon began the game on the bench. Nick Woltemade started in a fluid attacking midfield role behind William Osula, who was described as ineffective at times in the coverage of the match. Joelinton was withdrawn at a moment when he risked collecting a second booking.
Qarabag's context and comeback
The visitors had been heavily beaten 6-1 in Baku in the first leg but returned with intent. Their manager, Gurban Gurbanov, had instructed his players to be "more careful and more responsible" for the visit to Tyneside. Qarabag did not arrive on Tyneside until 11pm on Monday night and were due to board a six-hour flight straight back to Azerbaijan after the final whistle, with a four-hour time difference compounding an exhausting schedule. Before kick-off, defender Kevin Medina was observed kneeling on the turf in prayer.
Other play-off results and what they mean
Elsewhere in the play-offs, Inter lost 1-2 at home to Bodo, leaving a 2-5 aggregate scoreline after Hauge put the visitors ahead and Evjen doubled the lead; Bastoni pulled one back for Inter. Bayer Leverkusen drew 0-0 with Olympiacos but progressed 2-0 on aggregate and will face either Arsenal or Bayern Munich in the Champions League last 16. Atletico Madrid beat Club Brugge to set up a tie with either Liverpool or Spurs.
Coverage notes and next fixtures
Use the 'watch & listen' tab for live coverage. That is all for this live page but more Champions League action is scheduled, with coverage returning at 18: 30 GMT on Wednesday for four more play-off second-leg ties. Observers noted that Newcastle's progression secures them a last-16 tie that had already been effectively assured after the emphatic first-leg win in Baku, while Qarabag left the competition having shown notable spirit in the return leg.
Unclear in the provided context: the opponents Newcastle will face in the last 16 are identified in different reports as either Barcelona or Chelsea; available match listings showed both possibilities but final pairing details were not specified further in the provided context.
