Newcastle Vs Qarabag Fk — newcastle vs qarabag fk match report
newcastle vs qarabag fk ended with Newcastle 3-2 Qarabag (9-3 aggregate) as the Magpies booked a Champions League last-16 place after a night at St James' Park. The match produced early goals, a spirited Qarabag fightback and a late follow-up after a saved penalty.
Newcastle through in style
Newcastle United cruised into the last 16 of the Champions League after a 3-2 victory at St James' Park that completed a 9-3 aggregate win. The tie followed a 6-1 rout in Azerbaijan last week, leaving Eddie Howe's side with one foot in the next round before kick-off. The team was described as much-changed from the first leg, but they quickly picked up where they left off in Baku and raced into a two-goal lead inside minutes.
Early goals and sequence
Sandro Tonali opened the scoring in the fourth minute after Qarabag goalkeeper Mateusz Kochalski could only parry a William Osula header into Tonali's path; the Italian tucked away what was described as his first ever goal in the competition. Just a couple of minutes later Harvey Barnes drilled the ball across goal and the unmarked Joelinton volleyed Newcastle's second.
Qarabag comeback details
Qarabag, coached by Gurban Gurbanov, improved after the early setbacks. Camilo Durán skipped away from Dan Burn after half-time and finished clinically past Aaron Ramsdale to pull a goal back, giving the travelling support a moment to remember following a mammoth 2, 500-mile journey. Newcastle defender Sven Botman quickly restored the visitors' seven-goal aggregate deficit when he headed in from a Kieran Trippier corner, but Qarabag responded again when Dan Burn handled inside the box and a penalty was awarded. Ramsdale kept out Marko Jankovic's spot-kick, only for Elvin Cəfərquliyev to be quickest to react and knock in the follow-up.
Howe, Murphy and team changes
Manager Eddie Howe, who is noted for his motivational slogans and whose current favourite is “One Brain, ” made seven changes from the side that lost 2-1 at Manchester City the previous Saturday. Alex Murphy, the 21-year-old Irish defender, was given a first start at left-back and later shared his reaction to making his Champions League debut at St. James' Park. Anthony Gordon began the game on the bench. Nick Woltemade started in a fluid attacking midfield role behind the ineffective William Osula. The coverage noted there is debate over whether the “£69m Germany striker” is best deployed as a No 8, 9 or 10. Woltemade’s link play was highlighted as initially confusing Qarabag. Joelinton was withdrawn at one point and was later described as disgruntled, having been in peril of collecting a second booking.
Manager and coach comments
Howe was quoted saying: “They stabilised and made it difficult for us. There’s a lot we can improve on but this is an amazing competition and the most important thing is that we’re in the last 16. ” Gurban Gurbanov had reportedly instructed his players to “be more careful and more responsible” after the 6-1 first-leg defeat in Baku. Qarabag did not arrive on Tyneside until 11pm on Monday night and were scheduled to board a six-hour flight back to Azerbaijan after the final whistle, with a four-hour time difference to factor in. coverage also described Kevin Medina kneeling and praying immediately before kick-off.
Other play-off results
Elsewhere in the play-offs, Inter lost 1-2 at home to Bodo, the tie finishing 2-5 on aggregate; Hauge put the visitors in front and Evjen doubled the lead before Bastoni responded. Atletico Madrid beat Club Brugge to set up a tie with either Liverpool or Spurs. Bayer Leverkusen drew 0-0 with Olympiacos, winning 2-0 on aggregate to set up a last-16 tie with Arsenal or Bayern Munich. The live page noted that coverage would return at 18: 30 GMT on Wednesday for four more play-off second-leg ties and included a prompt to use the 'watch & listen' tab for live coverage. One live blog for the fixture was unavailable with the message: “Sorry, this blog is currently unavailable. Please try again later. ”
Match finish: Newcastle 3-2 Qarabag (9-3 agg). Key sequence: Tonali & Joelinton early; Durán reply; Botman header; Burn handball and Ramsdale penalty save followed by Elvin Cəfərquliyev’s follow-up. Alex Murphy made his Champions League debut; reporters were at St James' Park to capture reaction.
Thanks were noted to those who joined the live coverage and offered comments; unclear in the provided context whether further immediate fixtures or reactions followed beyond what is recorded here.
