Newcastle Vs Qarabag Fk: Magpies Cruise Through as Qarabağ Rally Makes It Tighter Than First Leg
Newcastle Vs Qarabag Fk ended 3-2 at St. James' Park as Newcastle reached the Champions League last 16 with a 9-3 aggregate victory. The match featured early goals for the home side, spirited responses from the visitors and a late penalty rebound finish that ensured a nervous final stretch for the crowd.
Newcastle Vs Qarabag Fk: Match at a glance
Final score: Newcastle 3, Qarabağ 2 (9-3 on aggregate). Newcastle built on a dominant first-leg win in Azerbaijan and began the night strongly, but Qarabağ rallied to make the evening more competitive than the opening tie.
Key moments and goals
Sandro Tonali opened the scoring early after Mateusz Kochalski could only parry a William Osula header into Tonali's path; the Italian converted what was described as his first ever goal in the competition. Seconds later Harvey Barnes delivered a cross and Joelinton volleyed in to put Newcastle 2-0 inside the opening minutes.
After half-time, Camilo Durán skipped away from Dan Burn and finished past Aaron Ramsdale to pull a goal back for the Azerbaijan Premier League champions, rewarding travelling supporters who had made a mammoth 2, 500-mile journey. Newcastle restored the margin when Sven Botman headed in from a Kieran Trippier corner, but Qarabağ produced another response when a handball by Dan Burn led to a penalty. Ramsdale saved Marko Jankovic's spot-kick, yet Elvin Cafarguliyev reacted quickest to score from the rebound.
Penalty drama and match flow
The penalty sequence tightened the night after Newcastle had taken an early grip. Ramsdale's initial save kept the scoreboard in Newcastle's favour, but Cafarguliyev's follow-up finish ensured the visitors left with belief. Across the tie, Newcastle's aggregate superiority remained decisive, but the second-leg contest was characterised by Qarabağ's resilience and ability to respond to setbacks.
Team changes, debuts and individual contributions
Eddie Howe made six changes to his side for the match, and namesake Alex Murphy started to make his full debut and his first outing in the Champions League, later sharing his reaction to the experience. Teenage full-back Leo Shahar came on late to make a Newcastle debut as well.
Nick Woltemade was involved in a notable move that set up Jacob Murphy, who was celebrating his 31st birthday but drilled a chance wide. Sven Botman scored before being withdrawn shortly after as part of a triple substitution. Dan Burn was penalised for the handball that produced the penalty in the 56th minute.
Other matchday results and the wider Champions League picture
Elsewhere in the play-offs, Inter lost 1-2 at home to Bodø/Glimt, with Hauge and Evjen putting the visitors in front and Bastoni replying; the aggregate finished 2-5. Bayer Leverkusen drew 0-0 with Olympiacos to progress 2-0 on aggregate and will face either Arsenal or Bayern Munich in the last 16. Atlético Madrid beat Club Brugge to set up a tie with either Liverpool or Spurs.
Follow-up coverage, context and closing notes
Newcastle have now reached the last 16 after combining the two-legged tie with a dominant 6-1 first-leg victory in Azerbaijan and a 3-2 home win. The Magpies have won four of their last five matches in all competitions and now await a two-legged tie against Barcelona or Chelsea in the next round.
For fans following live coverage, use the 'watch & listen' tab for updates. An attempt to follow an online live blog returned a message that the blog was currently unavailable and asked readers to try again later. That live page closed with a note that further Champions League play-off second-leg ties would return at 18: 30 GMT on Wednesday for four more fixtures, and the evening closed with thanks for joining and for comments.
