At the Tofiq Bəhramov in Baku, Newcastle produced a ruthless away performance to overwhelm Qarabag 6–1 in their UEFA Champions League Round of 32 tie. By half-time Eddie Howe’s side were 5–0 up, with Anthony Gordon scoring four and Malick Thiaw also on target, effectively settling the contest before the interval. Elvin Jafarguliyev’s second-half reply, confirmed after VAR intervention, offered scant consolation for Qurban Qurbanov’s men. The result underlines Newcastle’s status as serious knockout contenders, while Qarabag’s defensive frailties were brutally exposed on a night with significant implications for both clubs’ European trajectories.
First-half analysis
Newcastle flew out of the blocks and the tone was set inside three minutes. Anthony Gordon opened the scoring at 3', finishing a move created by Dan Burn’s involvement, to give the visitors an immediate grip on the tie. Qarabag never recovered from that early blow, and the second came just five minutes later: centre-back Malick Thiaw struck at 8', converting after Kieran Trippier’s contribution, to make it 2–0 and silence the home side’s hopes of a cautious bedding-in period.
Qurbanov reacted with an early defensive reshuffle, withdrawing Bahlul Mustafazada for Dani Bolt at 22', but it did little to stem the tide. On 30', VAR confirmed a penalty for Newcastle after a review involving Harvey Barnes, and Gordon duly converted from the spot at 32' to stretch the lead to 3–0. Remarkably, he completed a quickfire hat-trick just a minute later with another goal at 33', this time from open play. By 45', Gordon had a fourth, again from the penalty spot, to close a devastating half at 5–0 to the Premier League side.
Second half and tactical shifts
Facing a five-goal deficit, Qurbanov adjusted at the break, taking off Leandro Andrade for defender Bədavi Hüseynov at 46' in an attempt to stabilise the back line. Qarabag finally found some attacking reward on 54', when Elvin Jafarguliyev scored a rare bright moment for the hosts. The goal, initially checked, was confirmed by VAR at 56', trimming the deficit to 5–1 and briefly lifting the home side.
Howe then turned to his bench in a triple change on 68', a clear signal to manage minutes with the tie already in hand. Star man Gordon made way for William Osula, Anthony Elanga was replaced by Jacob Murphy, and Joe Willock departed for Jacob Ramsey. The fresh legs quickly paid off: Murphy, on only four minutes, added Newcastle’s sixth with a goal at 72', reasserting their superiority.
The game’s only booking came for Thiaw at 76' for a foul, underlining that, despite the scoreline, discipline was largely maintained. Howe continued to rotate, withdrawing Trippier for Joelinton at 77' and later Barnes for Sean Neave at 87', adding midfield ballast and resting key starters. Qarabag, for their part, sought attacking impetus late on: Abdellah Zoubir was replaced by Emmanuel Addai at 85', and Joni Montiel by Kady Borges in the same minute, before striker Camilo Durán made way for Musa Qurbanlı at 88'. Those attacking tweaks could not alter the outcome, with Newcastle seeing out a commanding 6–1 away victory.
Statistical deep dive
The numbers underline Newcastle’s control of the contest. They held 58% of the ball, while Qarabag conceded possession and worked with 42%. Newcastle’s passing was cleaner and more assured, completing 431 of 484 passes at 89% accuracy, compared to Qarabag’s 294 of 350 at 84%. That technical edge translated into territorial pressure and sustained attacks.
In the final third, the gulf was stark. Newcastle unleashed 22 total shots, 14 of them on target, generating an expected goals figure of 5.56 that closely matched their six-goal haul. Qarabag mustered eight attempts with just two on target and an xG of 0.46, illustrating how infrequently they created clear chances. Nick Pope was required to make only one save, while Mateusz Kochalski faced 14 efforts on goal, recording eight saves as the scoreline threatened to become even heavier. Both sides committed 10 fouls, but Newcastle’s single yellow card for Thiaw was the only booking, suggesting a one-sided yet largely controlled encounter.
Standings and implications
In the broader Champions League picture, Newcastle’s emphatic win is consistent with their strong campaign. They came into this tie ranked 12th in the competition table with 14 points, a +10 goal difference and a record of four wins, two draws and two defeats from eight games, already on a promotion path to the 1/16-finals. This result reinforces their momentum and attacking credentials.
For Qarabag, who entered ranked 22nd with 10 points and a -8 goal difference from three wins, one draw and four losses, this heavy defeat deepens concerns about their defensive resilience at knockout level. Their home record had been relatively solid, but conceding six at the Tofiq Bəhramov exposes the gap they must close to compete consistently with Europe’s elite.
