Newcastle United took its place in the last 16 knockout stage of the Champions League after beating Qarabag 3-2 at St. James’ Park on Tuesday for a 9-3 on aggregate win. The outcome was never in doubt after Newcastle thrashed Qarabag 6-1 in the first leg of the playoff in Baku last week but expectations of a second goal rush proved short-lived after a promising start.
Newcastle was 2-0 up with the fans in full party mode after six minutes, the two goals coming in the space of 80 seconds from Sandro Tonali in the fourth minute and Joelinton on the volley in the sixth.
Unlike in Baku, where Newcastle was already 5-0 up at half-time, the Magpies then eased off and allowed Qarabag back into the match as the expected second leg thrashing failed to materialise.
Camilo Duran pulled a goal back for the visitor in the 50th minute but Newcastle responded instantly with Sven Botman scoring his first Champions League goal two minutes later off a header from a Kieran Trippier corner.
Manager Eddie Howe brought Anthony Gordon, the four-goal hero from the first leg, off the bench in the 54th minute in place of Joelinton with the score at 3-1, but the change had little impact.
The scoreline became 3-2 three minutes later when Elvin Jafarguliyev scored with a left-footed shot after Aaron Ramsdale had saved a penalty from Marko Jankovic following a Dan Burn handball.
“At 2-0 we probably came off the pedal, we didn’t intend to do that but that was the natural reaction” said Howe. “I think if you look at the score over the two legs, it’s been fantastic from the players although today feels a bit of a hollow win for us.”
Newcastle will now play Barcelona or Chelsea in the knockout stage, two teams they have played recently, with the draw made on Friday.
Barcelona won 2-1 at St James’ in the Champions League last September while Chelsea took a 2-2 draw from its Premier League visit in December.
“We really enjoyed the game against Barcelona and we had a good game against Chelsea here as well. We didn’t win either so hopefully that’s a good omen for us,” said Howe, who said reaching the knockout stage had been the target at the start of the season.
Tuesday was the first time Newcastle had won six matches in a single Champions League campaign.
It will be its first time in the knockout stage, although in 2003, it reached what was then a 16 club second group phase.
Leverkusen swims past Olympiacos Piraeus
Bayer Leverkusen endured late pressure but earned a 0-0 draw with visitor Olympiacos Piraeus on Tuesday to book its last-16 spot with a 2-0 aggregate win in the knockout playoff.
Leverkusen, which had won last week’s first leg 2-0 in Greece, thanks to Patrik Schick’s double, will now face either German rival Bayern Munich or Arsenal in the round of 16 next month. The draw will take place on Friday.
“We achieved our goal and that’s the result that counts,” Leverkusen keeper Janis Blaswich said. “We invested a lot in both games and worked hard. Maybe not everything looked great today, but we’re through.”
“Now we have an absolutely top team waiting for us in Bayern or Arsenal.”
In a match that barely had close chances from host Bayer Leverkusen, Player-of-the-Match Alex Grimaldo (in black) almost scored, rattling the crossbar in the 62nd minute.
| Photo Credit:
REUTERS
In a match that barely had close chances from host Bayer Leverkusen, Player-of-the-Match Alex Grimaldo (in black) almost scored, rattling the crossbar in the 62nd minute.
| Photo Credit:
REUTERS
The visiting side was disciplined and gradually increased the pressure to go close twice early in the second half, with Blaswich palming a Gelson Martins shot wide at full stretch.
The host, which has now kept a clean sheet at home for the fifth straight game across all competitions, responded with a chance of its own when Player-of-the-Match Alex Grimaldo rattled the crossbar with a close-range effort in the 62nd minute.
Olympiacos, however, kept it firmly on the back foot in the final 20 minutes and had several late chances.
Lorenzo Scipioni went agonisingly close for the Greeks late in the game when he flashed a shot narrowly wide, but Leverkusen held on for the draw
Published on Feb 25, 2026
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