Newcastle United took a giant step towards the Champions League round of 16 with a commanding 6-1 away victory over Karabakh Agdam. The undisputed hero of the evening in Baku was Anthony Gordon, who netted four goals in the first half alone. Eddie Howe's team dominated the hosts, setting new club scoring records in European competitions and virtually securing their advancement ahead of the return leg.

Gordon's Record-Breaking Performance

English striker Anthony Gordon scored four goals, breaking Alan Shearer's club record and deciding the match in Baku already in the first half.

Newcastle United's Dominance

Eddie Howe's team won 6-1, marking one of the highest away victories by an English club in Champions League history.

Surprising Results in Other Ties

In other matches, Bodø/Glimt defeated Inter Milan 3-1, while Atlético Madrid drew with Club Brugge 3-3.

The English club Newcastle United displayed absolute dominance during their away match in Azerbaijan's capital. The key figure of the match was Anthony Gordon, who found the net as early as the 3rd minute. With this feat, the 24-year-old striker broke the record of legendary Alan Shearer for the most goals scored for the club in a single European campaign. Gordon didn't stop at one goal, completing a hat-trick in the 33rd minute and adding a fourth goal right after halftime. It's worth noting that two of his goals came from successfully converted penalties. The Champions League has undergone a thorough format reform in recent years, introducing a league phase instead of traditional groups, which forced clubs to play additional playoff matches to enter the continent's top sixteen. Despite a crushing 5-0 lead at halftime, manager Eddie Howe remains cautious in his declarations. Goals for the visitors were also scored by Malick Thiaw and Jacob Murphy. The hosts managed only a consolation goal by Cafarguliyev in the 54th minute. Nick Woltemade started for Newcastle but failed to score this time. A Polish highlight was the appearance of the hosts' goalkeeper, Mateusz Kochalski, who, despite conceding six goals, prevented an even heavier defeat with several spectacular saves.

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This victory puts the Premier League team in a comfortable position ahead of the return leg at St James' Park. The winner of this tie will face Barcelona or Chelsea in the next round. Media emphasize that such a high victory on the difficult ground in Baku, located over 4,000 kilometers from Newcastle, signals to all of Europe that Howe's team is returning to top form after a weaker period in domestic competitions.

4 — goals by Anthony Gordon in one match

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Mentioned People

  • Anthony Gordon — Star of the match, scorer of four goals for Newcastle United.
  • Eddie Howe — Manager of Newcastle United responsible for the team's tactics.
  • Mateusz Kochalski — Polish goalkeeper for Karabakh Agdam who intervened on many Newcastle shots.