Newcastle Maul Qarabag 6-1 to Close in on Historic Last 16 Spot.

Newcastle United produced a ruthless display to hammer Qarabag FK 6-1 in Baku,
moving to the brink of a first-ever Round of 16 appearance in the UEFA Champions
League.
Facing the longest away trip ever undertaken by an English side in the competition,
Eddie Howe’s men showed no signs of fatigue. Anthony Gordon struck inside three
minutes and Malick Thiaw headed in a second soon after to seize control.
Gordon then took centre stage. The winger converted from the penalty spot,
capitalised on a defensive error to complete his hat-trick, and added a fourth before
half-time after another spot-kick, taking his tally to 10 goals in this season’s
competition.
Qarabag briefly responded through Elvin Cafarguliyev early in the second half, but
substitute Jacob Murphy restored the five-goal cushion with a deflected effort to seal
Newcastle’s joint-biggest European win.
The dominant victory leaves the Magpies firmly in command ahead of next week’s
return leg at St James’ Park, while Qarabag’s European hopes now hang by a
thread.