Football Feb 25, 2026

Newcastle 3-2 Qarabag (Agg 9-3): Eddie Howe's men reach Champions League last 16

👤
By Admin
Sports Journalist
Newcastle 3-2 Qarabag (Agg 9-3): Eddie Howe's men reach Champions League last 16

Newcastle confirmed their place in the last 16 of the Champions League for the first time after beating Qarabag 3-2, completing a 9-3 aggregate victory.

The Toon are set to face Chelsea or Barcelona in last 16, with the draw on Friday.

With the heavy lifting done in Baku, where Newcastle's attacking swagger had all but ended the contest in the 6-1 win, this was about control and composure.

From the first whistle, the intent was clear as there was no hint of complacency with Sandro Tonali and Joelinton both finding the net inside six minutes.

Qarabag showed flashes in forward areas of what has got them to this stage as Camilo Duran netted which drew a collective applause from the home fans.

Newcastle refused to allow Qarabag any momentum though with Sven Botman heading home just two minutes later.

Elvin Cafarguliyev reduced the deficit after firing home from the rebound as Marko Jankovic's penalty was saved by Aaron Ramsdale.

Ultimately the Magpies progressed 9-3 on aggregate.

In the process, they ensured that the Premier League will have six representatives in the next round, with Eddie Howe's men joining Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham on the big stage. The last 16 awaits for Howe's men. And on this evidence over the two legs, Newcastle are not done yet in the Champions League.

Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali and manager Eddie Howe admitted their disappointment at the Magpies' second half display:

"I'm not very happy for the second half because we play just for the result," Tonali told Amazon Prime.

"We have to do more because these fans deserve 100 per cent in every game.

"We can do 100 per cent more. We need to push every minute of the game.

"The first thing was don't concede a goal. The first ten minutes of the second half we concede the first goal. I think it was a stupid goal. Every time we concede a goal we are not happy. But we are happy because we progress in the Champions Leaague. We are training a lot for this."

Howe agreed with Tonali's frustration, saying: "I'd agree with Sandro's assessment. At two-nil, we probably came off the pedal. We didn't intend to do that, but that was the natural reaction. The second half became a bit end to end, which for us was a real shame. One we expended too much energy and two we didn't sustain enough pressure on their goal.

"There's been no break for us. Other clubs that didn't go to the play-offs have had a free week. We played Manchester City and they had a free week. That's the worst team you want to come up against.

"There was a bit of fatigue in our performance today, especially in that second half which we are carrying through games. But I think we are benefitting from the games as well. There's a double edged sword to it."

Tags:

football report

Share this article

Related Posts

Championship talking points: Sheffield Wednesday's nightmare scenario, Coventry march on as Wrexham win goalfest against Ipswich

Championship talking points: Sheffield Wednesday's nightmare scenario, Coventry march on as Wrexham win goalfest against Ipswich

A nightmare season was decided in nightmare fashion for Sheffield Wednesday. It couldn't have been scripted any better or worse - depending on what s...

Premier League predictions and best bets: Newcastle to drag Spurs further into relegation picture

Premier League predictions and best bets: Newcastle to drag Spurs further into relegation picture

Our football betting expert Jones Knows provides his insight across the midweek card of Premier League fixtures.Brighton's wobbles are a great betting...

Tottenham boss Igor Tudor delivers home truths after Arsenal thrashing: 'Become serious' and shed 'bad habits'

Tottenham boss Igor Tudor delivers home truths after Arsenal thrashing: 'Become serious' and shed 'bad habits'

Igor Tudor has called on relegation-threatened Tottenham to shed their "bad habits" and become "serious" after they were thrashed 4-1 at home to Arsen...

Viktor Gyokeres: Arsenal striker has best game for club since joining with two-goal display vs Tottenham

Viktor Gyokeres: Arsenal striker has best game for club since joining with two-goal display vs Tottenham

There are still a lot of questions about Arsenal, the title race and what is to come from them in the run-in this season. But one thing is absolutely...

Wesley Fofana and Hannibal subjected to racist abuse after Chelsea's draw against Burnley

Wesley Fofana and Hannibal subjected to racist abuse after Chelsea's draw against Burnley

Wesley Fofana was racially abused on Instagram after being sent off in Chelsea's draw with Burnley on Saturday, with Clarets midfielder Hannibal Mejbr...

Liverpool physicality a worry as Oliver Glasner looks to repair relationship with Crystal Palace fans - Premier League hits and misses

Liverpool physicality a worry as Oliver Glasner looks to repair relationship with Crystal Palace fans - Premier League hits and misses

Arne Slot was right to praise Liverpool's mentality in their 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest. Alexis Mac Allister stepped up. Dominik Szoboszlai showe...