In the first leg of the Champions League knockout stage, Newcastle United defeated Qarabag Agdam away from home with a resounding 6:1 victory. The absolute hero of the match was Anthony Gordon, who scored four goals already in the first half. For the home team's Polish goalkeeper, Mateusz Kochalski, his debut in this stage of the competition proved to be a painful experience, though he prevented an even heavier defeat with a series of successful saves.

Gordon's historic feat

Englishman Anthony Gordon scored four goals in the first half, breaking Alan Shearer's record in European cups.

Kochalski's painful debut

Polish goalkeeper Mateusz Kochalski conceded six goals, though he recorded a series of excellent saves preventing an even heavier defeat.

Newcastle United's dominance

Eddie Howe's team has practically secured advancement to the round of 16 after a 6:1 victory in the first away leg.

Newcastle United took a giant step towards advancing to the Champions League round of 16 by thrashing Qarabag Agdam away. The match played in Baku was dictated by the English visitors from the first minutes. In the 3rd minute, Anthony Gordon opened the scoring, capitalizing on a precise pass from Dan Burn. Gordon, just 24 years old, etched his name in the club's history, breaking Alan Shearer's record for most goals in a single European campaign. By halftime, Newcastle led 5:0, with Gordon completing a quadruplet, including two penalty kicks. Newcastle United returned to the elite Champions League after a twenty-year hiatus, a result of the club's takeover by a Saudi Arabian consortium in 2021 and a thorough squad overhaul.Despite the disastrous result for the hosts, Polish goalkeeper Mateusz Kochalski showcased several excellent saves, preventing an even greater embarrassment. After the break, Qarabag managed a consolation goal by Elvin Cafarguliyev, but the final word belonged to Jacob Murphy, who set the final score at 6:1. German striker Nick Woltemade started for the visitors, but despite his team's dominance, he did not get on the scoresheet. Manager Eddie Howe did not hide his satisfaction after the match, emphasizing that his team is close to a historic achievement. Champions League playoff match result: Qarabag Agdam 1:6 Newcastle United4 — goals scored by Anthony Gordon in just the first half of the matchThe return leg will take place this Tuesday in Newcastle. The Azerbaijani team, which has previously caused upsets by eliminating teams like Eintracht Frankfurt, faces the nearly impossible task of overturning a five-goal deficit. The winner of this tie advances to the round of 16 of the world's richest competition. For Newcastle, this would be the first such success in the club's modern history, confirming their aspirations to join European football's elite. „We were aware of Newcastle's style of play, but today's class difference was simply overwhelming.” — Gurban Gurbanov

Mentioned People

  • Anthony Gordon — English winger for Newcastle, scorer of four goals in the match against Qarabag.
  • Mateusz Kochalski — Polish goalkeeper for Qarabag Agdam, who played in the match against Newcastle.
  • Eddie Howe — Manager of Newcastle United, under whose leadership the team is achieving success in Europe.