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

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

Report as Eddie Howe‘s side finish the job after commanding first-leg win in Qarabag; Newcastle set to face Chelsea or Barcelona in last 16 – draw on Friday

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.

Tonali and Howe slam Newcastle second half display vs Qarabag

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.”