Newcastle put themselves into the Champions League round of 16 with a 3-2 victory over Qarabag at St James’ Park.
Eddie Howe still fielded a rather strong squad despite the commanding lead carried from the first leg. Some unfamiliar faces did find themselves on the teamsheet, though, with Alex Murphy getting his full debut at left back.
But, despite the changes, Newcastle once again found themselves with an early lead on 4 minutes when Sandro Tonali smashed home from close range.
A free kick by the goalscorer caused some chaos. Burn saw his effort blocked before a header by Osula drew an excellent save by Kochalski in the Qarabag net. The ball fell to the onrushing Tonali, who stroked it home to open the scoring.
Less than 90 seconds later and the net bulged once more after Newcastle won the ball high from kick off with an intense press. Barnes swung in a delightful ball that was gratefully headed home by the awaiting Joelinton at the back stick. 2-0 inside six minutes.
The Newcastle pressure continued following the goals. Qarabag’s sloppy possession saw them struggle to create any offence, and the game settled into rhythmic waves of pressure for Newcastle.
At the 26-minute mark a short spell of possession for the visitors brought some teasing ‘oles’ by the home fans. Those jeers were soon replaced by discontented rumbles when a stray Sven Botman pass caused a scare.
Ultimately Qarabag were called offside, and whilst the tie was already out of sight, it was a reminder to not let complacency creep in for Howe’s men.
The Azerbaijani took some confidence from this small slip-up and spent the next few minutes on the front foot. A slick move down the left saw Ramsdale called into action for the first time. The resulting corner ended in a Matheus Silva header which bounced just past the post.
Jacob Murphy was next to have a pop for the hosts. A line-breaking pass by Sven Botman found Woltemade in space, who elegantly turned and stabbed the ball through.
Murphy was alone on the right-hand side of the box but saw his effort drag wide of the far post. The flag went up, but Murphy was ultimately onside and missed the chance of a goal on his 31st birthday.
Qarabag continued to show they could be a threat, with a nicely worked counterattack drawing a diving save from Ramsdale.
A perfectly timed tackle courtesy of debutant Alex Murphy then halted a weaving Stankovic. The midfielder made his way into the box but was unable to get his shot away before being thwarted.
The second half began largely in the same way the first finished. Just five minutes in, Qarabag managed to pull one back when Montiel sent Camilo Duran in behind Dan Burn. The forward finished the move off expertly at Ramsdale’s near post for his fourth of this year’s Champions League.
But, once again, a Newcastle goal wasn’t far away. Just two minutes later Trippier whipped a corner straight onto the head of the waiting Sven Botman. The Dutchman duly obliged and nodded the ball home to make it 3-1.
The early half chaos continued on 56 minutes. Bicalho’s low cross struck the arm of the sliding Dan Burn, who was unfortunate to give away a penalty.
Jafarquilyev reacted quickest following an excellent Ramsdale save from the initial spot kick. He bundled home Jacob Murphy’s attempted sliding clearance to return the deficit to one goal.
Just moments later, Ramsdale was once again called into action. A dive by Montiel caused a scuffle with Tonali; the ball stayed in play, and the Newcastle keeper made an excellent stop from close range.
The second half continued in the same open nature.
With 66 minutes on the clock, Medina gave the ball away to Willock on halfway. Willock clumsily brought the ball forward before laying it off to Barnes rather than opting for the overload.
Barnes cut inside and unleashed a left-footed strike which Kochalski palmed away at full stretch.
Newcastle gained back some much-needed calm from the 70th minute onwards. The sustained periods of pressure that characterised the first half returned. A plethora of half chances came and went, with the Magpies unable to further their advantage.
The most exciting part of the dying embers came in a cameo debut for England youth international Leo Shahar. The Geordie faithful had been patiently waiting to see the youngster for weeks and finally got their wish in the 85th minute.
The whistle blew around 10 minutes later with a 3-2 scoreline on the night and a 9-3 thrashing on aggregate.
The victory sees Newcastle enter the hat for the round of 16 draw for the first time in their history. The Magpies will learn their fate later in the week, with either Chelsea or Barcelona the awaiting opponents.
