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Newcastle United sealed their place in the UEFA Champions League last 16 with a 3-2 victory over Qarabag on Tuesday, completing a 9-3 aggregate win over the Azerbaijani champions.
The Magpies join Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham as the six English clubs in the last 16.
Having built a commanding 6-1 first-leg advantage, including a 5-0 half-time lead, Newcastle effectively ended the tie last week. Manager Eddie Howe rotated his squad for the return leg, leaving four-goal hero Anthony Gordon on the bench.
Despite the changes, Newcastle struck twice inside the opening six minutes. Sandro Tonali fired home the rebound after Dan Burn’s effort was saved, before Joelinton finished from Harvey Barnes’ cross.
Qarabag, who had previously defeated Benfica and Eintracht Frankfurt in the league phase, pulled one back in the second half when Camilo Duran outpaced Burn to score. The Newcastle defender was later penalised for handball, leading to a penalty. Aaron Ramsdale saved Marko Jankovic’s spot-kick, but Elvin Jafarguliyev converted the rebound.
Sven Botman added Newcastle’s third goal with a powerful header from a corner. Qarabag’s concession took their total goals allowed in this season’s Champions League to 30, a single-season record in the competition.
In Germany, Bayer Leverkusen progressed to the last 16 after a goalless home draw with Olympiacos secured a 2-0 aggregate victory.
Leverkusen, who won the German double in 2024, advanced beyond a two-legged Champions League knockout tie for the first time since reaching the final in 2002, where they lost 2-1 to Real Madrid.
They will face either Arsenal or Bayern Munich in the next round.
Leverkusen captain Robert Andrich admitted the team’s performance fell short of expectations.
“The game didn’t go at all like we’d imagined. Too sluggish — really the only positive is that we kept a clean sheet and we’re through to the next round,” he said.
Midfielder Jonas Hofmann echoed similar sentiments, noting dissatisfaction with the display.
Leverkusen, unbeaten at home defensively since early January, were rarely troubled by the Greek champions. Their best chance came midway through the second half when Alejandro Grimaldo struck the crossbar.
Olympiacos, aiming for their first Champions League last-16 appearance since the 2013-14 season, had rested key players in preparation for the clash.
Late in the match, Leverkusen right-back Lucas Vazquez limped off, marking the only setback for the hosts on the night.
