Newcastle United confirmed their place in the Champions League last 16 for the first time after beating Qarabag 3-2 on Tyneside, completing a 9-3 aggregate victory and setting up a tie with either Chelsea or Barcelona in Friday's draw.
With the heavy lifting done in Baku, where Newcastle had all but ended the contest with a 6-1 first-leg win, this second leg was meant to be about control and composure. For an hour it largely was, before the Azerbaijani champions mounted a spirited fightback that made Eddie Howe distinctly uncomfortable.
A Blistering Start on Tyneside
From the first whistle there was no hint of complacency. In the fourth minute Sandro Tonali applied the final touch to an attacking move he had initiated, prising open Qarabag's five-man rearguard. Two minutes later Joelinton met a Harvey Barnes cross on the volley and watched the ball fly beyond the helpless Mateusz Kochalski.