Last 16 Here We Come
- Feb 24
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 5
Two goals in the first six minutes from Tonali and Joelinton put this tie firmly to bed.
The rest of the game threatened to put a sell out crowd to sleep awoken only by two alarm bells when Qarabag rang in two goals.
The Horsemen ran a good race
Many teams would have collapsed after going 8-1 down on aggregate after six minutes and, while Newcastle played the rest of the game at times like a training match, Qarabag to their credit refused to let their heads drop and capitulate.
The team from Bake have scored some good goals in their CL campaign and top scorer Duran notched another excellent one after he beat Burn for pace and fired past Ramsdale with a precise shot into the bottom corner.
Any remote thoughts that Qarabag had of staging a miracle comeback were buried just two minutes later when Sven Botman planted a 34mph bullet header past the keeper.
A handball by Burn led to a penalty and a good save from Ramsdale, but the player with the toughest name to pronounce in Qarabag's team scored from the rebound to pull the score back to 3-2.
That's how the game finished.
Qarabag and their fans can take some consolation, and pride, in winning the second half of this tie 2-1.
The minnows from Azerbaijan swam with the CL big fish and beat Benfica, Eintracht Frankfurt and FC Copenhagen and drew with Chelsea.
Alex Murphy did well... but others didn't
Alex Murphy never gave the ball away in a confident display that will have pleased Eddie Howe and the coaching staff.
He came across well in his post match interview and let's hope he goes on to have a very good career at the club.
Two players who didn't enhance their reputations were Woltemade and Osula.
In some ways I am loathe to criticise Woltemade because he has scored ten goals in his debut season in a new league and, lately, in a new position.
But, up against a side 8-1 down on aggregate after six minutes, this was a game where he should have displayed his talent. Unfortunately, he did not.
Dispossessed time and again, and often hitting wayward passes, his one moment of pain relief was a sharp turn and through ball for Murphy that should have brought a goal and an assist.
Apart from that one moment nothing went right for Woltemade and I won't be surprised if Eddie decides to leave him out of the side that starts against Everton.
The rumour is that Will Osula has been banging on Eddie;s door demanding more game time. Well, he needs his knuckles rapped.
Five touches in the first half isn't a good case for more minutes and he needs to show a lot more in his game than chasing the oppo around the pitch.
Osula has shown flashes of talent but unless he pans out better between now and the end of the season then a transfer to Germany for anywhere near £30M is looking like a good deal for Newcastle.
Chelsea or Barcelona up next
Tonight might not have ended in the goal fest some were expecting but that shouldn't detract from an excellent Champions League campaign and qualification for the last 16.
Let that sink in...
The last 16 of the Champions League.
In a season that has been a let down so far in the Premier League, blighted by indifferent form from new and old signings, a raft of long term injuries to key players, and a gruelling fixture list... we've battled our way into the last stage of Europe's elite competition.
Nothing surprises me this season... good or bad.
And it wouldn't surprise me at all if we battled our way to the last eight.
Newcastle 9 - 3 Qarabag.
Nee arguing with that score.
Next up Everton at SJP on Saturday.
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No joy in the FA cup ballot for me 😕
Surely we can start giving young Murphy some game time as he looked decent at LB and CB, and can cover for Hall, so Dan Burn won't have to.
Just following on from Pottsclock and a moan from me that Osula and Wissa having game time which maybe they needed to be assessed but Neave didn’t have a kick when the lad could have had a good 15 minutes. Disappointed.
Anyway next Everton at home who are having a bit of form and T. Rex is always welcome to make the entertainment. 😁
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It looked to me as if we didn't want to exert the players too much last night as the job had been done in the first leg. Fair enough.
But we really lacked structure when some of the subs came on. I thought Shahar could have been on earlier. Would have been nice to get a run out from Neave, but perhaps Eddie wanted Wissa to get some minutes instead.
If Woltemade gets criticised for coming too deep, then I would make the opposite claim about Osula who, unfortunately, just looked very ineffective and hardly touched the ball. Very disappointing.