Newcastle 3 Qarabag 2 – Tuesday 24 February 2026 8pm
Direct fan/writer response from some of our regular contributors to The Mag.
Nat Seaton:
‘Another Champions League win on a strange night at SJP when we were in a position to have a FIVE goal lead.
On to the next round, where I would prefer to play against Chelsea as I think we can beat them over two legs.
Saturday at 3pm at home for a change, looking forward to getting back into the league at home and hopefully a good performance that will give us a crucial win.”
Simon Ritter:
‘For most of the second leg the fare was as low as a pancake on Shrove Tuesday.
Tonali was excellent and Alex Murphy’s calm personified. Great to see him playing with confidence in two defensive roles.
None of the nominal centre-forwards made a case for inclusion next time.
Hall and Gordon added some much-needed pace after the break, but what looked like a dead rubber turned into exactly that after just ten minutes at St James’ Park.”
Billy Miller:
‘After two goals in six minutes I thought we could be looking at double figures (not just in the draw, but also on the night).
We added just one goal and Qarabag made the evening competitive.
Solid 90 minutes from Alex Murphy, although I think he looks more of a centre-half than a left-back.
After Neave’s energetic cameo last week I thought he would start and certainly expected him to come on for much of the second half. I appreciate Wissa needing minutes on his return, but it felt like a big opportunity for the local boy to make his mark.
In the end we didn’t see him again, but Shahar came into action and did well in the last five minutes.’
Matt Busby said…:
‘I’m not sure we learned much in the last 180 minutes against the champions of Azerbaijan.
That said, you can only beat what’s in front of you and we won both games at a canter.
A bit of a tough second half for Dan Burn. I’m glad it happened when the tie was won.
Osula once again shows that he is not good enough.
A big shout-out to Alex Murphy, who gave a very good account of himself tonight. Well done that young man.’
David Punton:
‘A thrilling start to the match sealed everything.
It was already almost a match, but Tonali and Joelinton gave them a mountain to climb.
We are in the last sixteen of the UEFA Champions League. Incredible.
In the second half there was always talk of a setback and the team from Baku managed to play for some pride.
Job done – but much tougher tests await.”
Tony Mallabar:
‘A 3-2 win is something I’ll keep in mind all day and a trip to Chelsea in the next round…’
Once again the East Stand bounced to a dead rubber game.
The only downside was that the headless chicken got an excuse, when this was the perfect opportunity to give young Sean Neave an escape.”
GTone:
‘It will always be a difficult match.
Now that the tie is over, there is more to lose if a player doesn’t play well than if he takes aim at an already defeated opponent.
I thought Alex Murphy did well and looked comfortable on the ball, especially at LCB.
Well, we won, so that’s all that matters.’
Mark Jankowski:
‘Newcastle came out of the trap in the opening minutes of the match and quickly scored the equalizer.
The rest of the match was like a friendly match from our perspective.
Some good performances from Joelinton and Tonali in the middle of the pitch were some of the highlights, along with an electric cameo from Anthony Gordon.
“There hasn’t been much effort in the build-up to a few crucial home games in the Premier League.”
Newcastle 3 Qarabag 2 – Tuesday 24 February 2026 8pm
Match statistics
Goals:
Newcastle United:
Tonali 4, Joelinton 6, Botman 52
Arab FK:
Duran 50, Ceferquliyev 57
Possess was Newcastle 66% Qarabag FK 34%
Total shots come Newcastle 19 Qarabag FK 13
Shots on target come Newcastle 8 Qarabag FK 6
Corners come Newcastle 9 Qarabag FK 6
Touches in the opposition box Newcastle 36 Qarabag FK 20
Newcastle team at Qarabag FK:
Ramsdale, Trippier (Hal 54), Botman (Willock 54), Burn, Alex Murphy, Tonali, Joelinton (Gordon 54), Barnes, Jacob Murphy (Shahar 87), Osula (Wissa 73), Woltemade
Unused subtitles:
Pope, Harris, Ruddy, Neave, Elanga
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