Newcastle Vs Qarabag Fk: Newcastle into Champions League last 16 after 3-2 win (9-3 agg)
Newcastle secured progression to the UEFA Champions League last 16 after a 3-2 victory over Qarabağ at St. James' Park, taking the tie 9-3 on aggregate. The tie mattered because the early goals and the commanding 6-1 first-leg lead in Baku allowed Newcastle to rotate, but Qarabağ’s spirited comeback tested the hosts and produced tense moments, including a saved penalty and a rebound finish.
Newcastle Vs Qarabag Fk: early Tonali and Joelinton strikes
Sandro Tonali put Newcastle ahead inside the fourth minute when he finished from close range after Mateusz Kochalski parried William Osula’s header into his path, securing his first Champions League goal. Seconds later Harvey Barnes crossed and Joelinton volleyed home to make it 2-0 on the night and extend Newcastle’s aggregate advantage, the visitors having been beaten 6-1 in the first leg in Azerbaijan a week earlier.
Sven Botman header and the immediate tactical response
Sven Botman restored a three-goal cushion on the night when he headed Kieran Trippier’s corner beyond Kochalski early in the second half. Botman was withdrawn almost immediately as part of a triple substitution. That headed goal came just minutes after Camilo Durán had cut the deficit for Qarabağ, a finish that gave the travelling support a moment of celebration despite the heavy aggregate margin.
Elvin Cafarguliyev rebound, penalty confusion and Ramsdale interventions
The match produced a contentious moment when Dan Burn was penalised for handball inside the area in the 56th minute. One account names the penalty taker as Marko Jankovic and another names Joni Montiel; the provided context is unclear on which was correct. Aaron Ramsdale did keep out the spot-kick, but Elvin Cafarguliyev was quickest to react to score from the rebound. Ramsdale also made an acrobatic save to tip a Camilo Durán effort over the bar and produced other key saves, including a block from an Elvin Jafarguliyev or Cəfərquliyev effort earlier in the game, using multiple spellings present in the context.
Alex Murphy, Leo Shahar and squad rotation choices
Newcastle introduced several changes for the tie, and the precise number is unclear in the provided context: one account describes six changes while another gives seven. Among those alterations, 21-year-old Irish defender Alex Murphy made his full debut and shared his reaction to appearing in the Champions League. Late substitute teenage full-back Leo Shahar also made his Newcastle debut. Anthony Gordon, Newcastle’s leading Champions League scorer, began the night on the bench. Nick Woltemade started in a fluid attacking midfield role behind William Osula; the match commentary noted a debate over whether the £69m Germany striker, William Osula, is best deployed as a No 8, 9 or 10.
Qarabağ’s travel, resilience and manager Gurban Gurbanov’s instructions
Qarabağ arrived in Newcastle late on Monday and faced a six-hour flight back after the final whistle, with a four-hour time difference noted in the context. Manager Gurban Gurbanov had urged his players to be “more careful and more responsible” after the first-leg defeat, and his side did rally: Kevin Medina was recorded kneeling on the turf and praying before kick-off in one account, and his presence as captain contributed to moments when Newcastle’s rhythm was disrupted. The visitors forced chances and produced a late penalty rebound goal to leave the final score 3-2 on the night and 9-3 on aggregate.
Wider Champions League play-offs and what comes next
Newcastle will now meet either Barcelona or Chelsea over two legs in the last 16. Elsewhere in the play-offs, Inter lost 1-2 to Bodo, going out 2-5 on aggregate after Hauge and Evjen scored for the visitors and Bastoni replied; Bayer Leverkusen drew 0-0 with Olympiacos to progress 2-0 on aggregate and will face either Arsenal or Bayern Munich; Atletico Madrid beat Club Brugge to set up a tie with either Liverpool or Spurs. Four more second-leg play-offs were scheduled to follow at 18: 30 GMT on Wednesday in the same sequence of fixtures noted in the context.
What makes this notable is how an overwhelming first-leg result allowed Eddie Howe to experiment and rest regular starters, yet the match still produced testy moments that exposed areas for improvement. Howe described reaching the last 16 as “a massive achievement, ” adding that nothing was given at the start of their Champions League campaign and that the team had navigated the double-header well. He also said that whoever Newcastle draws next will present an “amazing tie” and insisted the squad must raise its game to compete with any opponent.
