Newcastle thrashed Qarabag 6-1 in Baku in the first leg of the playoff for access to the Champions League round of 16, and they are virtually qualified for the next stage of the competition, making the game in England a formality. Despite the long journey, slightly over four thousand kilometers (the longest ever for an English team in UEFA competitions), Eddie Howe's team showed great freshness and eagerness to resolve the match quickly: at 3 minutes, star Anthony Gordon opened the scoring, marking the beginning of a fantastic night for the English winger. The goal shook the local team, the one that surprised Benfica at the Luz in the first round of the league phase, leading to the dismissal of Bruno Lage – the Azerbaijanis never managed to cross the halfway line, due to the high pressure from the English. The increase in the score was just a matter of time. Thiaw scored the second from a set piece, and Gordon netted the third from a highly debatable penalty. Still savoring the good feelings from his brace, Gordon scored again following an opponent's mistake. It was all very easy. The disparity was tremendous; it looked like a team of professionals against amateurs, and once again Newcastle's best player completed his hat-trick, again from the penalty spot, after being fouled by the goalkeeper. The second half was different. Newcastle began to manage the game, already thinking about the match against Manchester City in the Premier League, while Qarabag tried everything for pride, managing to reduce the score to 1-5. The moment was celebrated in the stands, and they even came close to scoring a second, but the Magpies' defense held firm and would eventually reach 6-1, with Murphy scoring from a deflected shot that deceived the goalkeeper. Thus ends Qarabag's dream, which began at the Estádio da Luz.
Despite the Eddie Howe remains central to this story.
Despite the Eddie Howe remains central to this story.
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