Newcastle Vs Qarabag Fk: newcastle vs qarabag fk ends 3-2 as Newcastle reach Champions League last 16

In the Champions League play-off second leg at St James' Park, newcastle vs qarabag fk finished 3-2 as Newcastle completed a 9-3 aggregate victory and advanced to the last 16. The result, following a 6-1 first-leg win in Baku, locks in a last-16 tie against either Barcelona or Chelsea and ended Qarabag's run in the competition.

Scoreline and scorers at St James' Park

Newcastle won 3-2 on the night and 9-3 on aggregate. Sandro Tonali opened in the fourth minute, Joelinton added a second a couple of minutes later, Camilo Durán pulled one back after half-time, Sven Botman headed Newcastle further clear from a Kieran Trippier corner, and Elvin Cafarguliyev was quickest to react to a saved spot-kick to make the final scoreline. Aaron Ramsdale saved Marko Jankovic's penalty before the follow-up was knocked in.

Howe's rotation, Alex Murphy's debut and squad choices

Eddie Howe made extensive changes from the side beaten 2-1 at Manchester City the previous Saturday, making seven alterations to the starting XI. The 21-year-old Irish defender Alex Murphy was given a first start at left-back and later shared his reaction to making his Champions League debut. Anthony Gordon began the match on the bench as Newcastle turned to different personnel, with Nick Woltemade used in a fluid attacking midfield role behind William Osula.

Early goals: Tonali's first Champions League strike and Joelinton's volley

Sandro Tonali's fourth-minute goal came after Qarabag goalkeeper Mateusz Kochalski could only parry a William Osula header into the Italian's path; Tonali netted his first ever goal in the competition. Two minutes later Harvey Barnes drilled a cross across goal and the unmarked Joelinton met it with a superb volley beyond Kochalski.

Qarabag's comeback, Camilo Durán and travel strain on visitors

Qarabag, praised for fighting back, pulled one back after half-time when Colombian forward Camilo Durán skipped away from Dan Burn and finished past Aaron Ramsdale. The visitors had flown a long distance for the match — the travelling support faced a mammoth 2, 500-mile journey — and did not arrive on Tyneside until 11pm on Monday night; they were due to board a six-hour flight straight back to Azerbaijan after the final whistle, with a four-hour time difference to contend with. Manager Gurban Gurbanov had told his players to "be more careful and more responsible" after the 6-1 first-leg defeat in Baku, and Kevin Medina was seen kneeling and praying before kick-off. Qarabag's five-man rearguard briefly collapsed early, but the team improved and exited having shown slick passing and fight; they conceded nine goals over the two legs.

Botman header, Burn handball and the saved penalty followed by the follow-up

Sven Botman restored Newcastle's seven-goal aggregate lead with a headed finish from Kieran Trippier's corner. Dan Burn was penalised for handling inside the box, leading to Marko Jankovic's spot-kick, which Aaron Ramsdale kept out. Elvin Cafarguliyev (also referenced as Elvin Jafarguliyev in some match text) reacted quickest to knock in the rebound.

Wider knockout picture and other play-off results

Newcastle's progress sends them into the last 16 to face either Barcelona or Chelsea. Elsewhere in the play-offs, Inter lost 1-2 to Bodo in the second leg, the tie finishing 2-5 on aggregate after Hauge put the visitors ahead, Evjen doubled the lead and Bastoni replied for Inter. Atletico Madrid beat Club Brugge to set up a tie with either Liverpool or Spurs, and Bayer Leverkusen drew 0-0 with Olympiacos to win 2-0 on aggregate and will face Arsenal or Bayern Munich in the last 16. A dedicated live coverage page carried a 'watch & listen' tab for updates, and that live page noted it would return at 18: 30 GMT on Wednesday for four more play-off second-leg ties and closed with a thank-you to readers for joining and for their comments; a separate live blog was briefly unavailable during the coverage.

Ciaran Kelly, reporting at St James' Park, highlighted Newcastle's comfortable aggregate position after the first leg in Baku and the mixed nature of the second-leg contest, while Alex Murphy offered his own reaction after making his debut on the night.