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It never felt like a normal matchday. There was no hum of anticipation in the city centre two or three hours before kick off, and the nervous energy which has driven St James’ Park on some of the best occasions under Eddie Howe wasn’t in the air.
Ultimately, the job had been done inside the opening seven minutes in Baku. By half time, Newcastle knew the second leg back on Tyneside would be little more than a procession. Attention was already turning to the last 16 draw, which will take place on Friday.
One of the key themes throughout this Champions League campaign for Newcastle has been the ease with which they’ve dispatched perceived ‘lesser’ opponents, particularly at home. They’d scored eight goals in three games against Benfica, who Qarabag also beat in their opening game, Athletic Club and PSV Eindhoven.
Newcastle advance to Champions League last 16
Accusations of diluting the competition have been thrust in UEFA’s direction since the new format came into play last season. They’ll only get louder watching how Newcastle dismantled Qarabag, first in Azerbaijan and then back home, where Sandro Tonali and Joelinton each scored in the opening minutes.
Howe had said all the right and proper things about the tie not being over even if, deep down, he didn’t believe his own words. His team selection for this game raised a few eyebrows; while some supporters had wanted to see academy products like England under-19 right-back Leo Shahar, and young striker Sean Neave in from the start, the mere presence of the first half goalscorer proved that Howe wasn’t taking the game for granted.
After the game, he admitted it was difficult in spells but reiterated his delight at progressing in Europe.
“It is a massive achievement, getting to the last 16,” he said. “Nothing was given to us at the start of this Champions League run. I love the new format, we’ve navigated the double header really well. I don’t care who you play, it is a tough game.
“We did the majority of the work in the away game; we were able to rotate our squad with mixed success, it wasn’t a great performance, but really pleased we won.
"I thought at 2-0 we probably came off the pedal. We didn't intend to do that but it was sort of the natural reaction. In the second half the game became end-to-end which, for us, was a real shame.”
If there is a lesson from this tie, it should be that playing in the Champions League means different things to different clubs. While Newcastle are looking to establish themselves as a genuine force at this level, Qarabag’s aim is to simply qualify when they can and improve as they go.
Getting through the league phase, beating Benfica, Copenhagen and Eintracht Frankfurt and drawing at home to Chelsea makes them the underdog story of the season, going beyond anyone’s expectations when the draw was made.
Prior to facing the Magpies, they’d played nine games against English opposition without victory, conceding 19 goals and scoring just three. Their entire squad cost £22m, just over half the fee Newcastle paid Aston Villa for Jacob Ramsey in the summer, a player not even in the squad. This was a mismatch, but also a result of a minor miracle.
They had their moments in the second half through goals from Camilo Duran and Elvin Jafaguliyev, the first of which was applauded by the home fans, which simultaneously showcased great sportsmanship and an obvious lack of jeopardy. Confidence grew and they began to play forward more often, but they were always kept at arm’s length by the home side.
Newcastle had begun to coast at that point, flexing their muscles with quick breaks forward when the opportunity arose while clearly turning their attention to Everton’s visit in the Premier League on Saturday.
Nick Woltemade started in his new, deeper role once again. That has been a huge topic of conversation, but it was hard to learn anything more about his suitability given the opposition. William Osula was given a rare chance to lead the line and didn’t stake much of a claim ahead of any bigger games coming up, while Irish defender Alex Murphy wasn’t particularly impressive on his first start.
It was disjointed in places, a performance to sum up what has been a very inconsistent season and a strange occasion In equal measure, but ultimately, an opportunity to put the handbrake on after months of bouncing between games with no momentum. Bigger tests are to come, and that is where the real questions will be asked.
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