GORDON STARS WITH FOUR GOALS AS NEWCASTLE CRUSH QARABAĞ 6-1 IN UCL PLAYOFF
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By: Balogun Ibrahim
Newcastle United put on a statement performance, dismantling Qarabağ FK 6-1 in the first leg of their Champions League knockout play-off, with Anthony Gordon delivering a display that is set to be remembered in club history.
At the Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium in Azerbaijan, the Magpies scored five times in a dominant first half on Wednesday night, with Gordon netting four goals, including two from the penalty spot, showcasing a breathtaking exhibition of attacking precision.
According to a post-match report on the Newcastle website, the team, making the longest-ever journey by an English side in the competition’s history, showed no signs of fatigue.
They struck early, with Gordon scoring inside three minutes—the fastest goal by a Newcastle player in Champions League history—racing onto a pass from Dan Burn and calmly slotting the ball into the bottom left-hand corner.
The early goal set the tone for a first half that was nothing short of ruthless.
Just five minutes later, Newcastle doubled their lead when Malick Thiaw rose to meet Kieran Trippier’s precise cross inside the box, heading the ball into the far left-hand corner to register his first Champions League goal for the club.
From there, it became a full display of Anthony Gordon’s brilliance.
In the 32nd minute, Anthony Gordon extended Newcastle’s lead from the penalty spot after referee Espen Eskås awarded a spot-kick following a VAR review for handball.
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The Liverpool-born forward calmly sent the ball into the top left-hand corner, surpassing Alan Shearer to become the club’s all-time leading Champions League goalscorer.
Two minutes later, Gordon completed his first senior career hat-trick, capitalising on a defensive error and, after rounding goalkeeper Mateusz Kochalski, slotting the ball into an empty net.
But the forward was not finished. On the stroke of half-time, he converted a second penalty into the top right-hand corner, despite Kochalski guessing correctly, bringing his Champions League goal tally to ten and becoming the first Newcastle player to score four times in a European fixture.
Newcastle’s clean sheet hopes were briefly challenged in the 56th minute when Elvin Cafarguliyev fired home for the hosts. Initially ruled out for offside, the goal was allowed after a VAR review.
Any thoughts of a Qarabağ comeback were quickly extinguished as the Magpies maintained complete control of the match.
In the 72nd minute, Jacob Murphy sealed the scoring with his first-ever Champions League goal for his boyhood club.
Receiving a pass from Jacob Ramsey, the 30-year-old cut inside and saw his deflected effort from the edge of the box fly past goalkeeper Mateusz Kochalski.
The 6-1 result matched Newcastle’s largest-ever victory in European competition, capping what was described as an otherwise perfect night on the road.
The evening carried added significance. On what would have been Sir Bobby Robson’s 93rd birthday, the win saw Eddie Howe achieve the joint-most victories by an English manager in a single Champions League campaign, equalling Sir Bobby’s five wins from the 2002-03 season.
It was also a night of new beginnings, as Sean Neave, a product of Newcastle’s Academy since age 13, made his competitive first-team debut and nearly assisted a goal with a bending cross that was headed narrowly wide.
The only blemish came when Malick Thiaw received a late booking, ruling him out of the second leg at St. James’ Park through suspension — the sole negative on an otherwise flawless night.
Yet the lasting memory will be Anthony Gordon’s brilliance: four goals, records broken, history made, and Newcastle firmly in command of their European destiny.
The return leg match will take place next week Tuesday at Saint James Park.
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