Newcastle cruise past Qarabag with 9-3 aggregate win sending Magpies into Champions League last-16 for first time
Newcastle have thumped Qarabag 9-3 on aggregate to sail into the Champions League last-16 for the first time in their history.
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Boss Eddie Howe has overseen the historic accomplishment on the back of a storming 6-1 first leg win in Baku, Azerbaijan, last week.
Howe's side followed the win with a 3-2 return leg victory at St James' Park despite the tie being effectively over before a ball was kicked on Tuesday.
Despite their progression being virtually assured, the Toon Army continued where they left off with quickfire goals from Sandro Tonali and Joelinton.
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In the second-half of the tie, the Azeri side woke up somewhat with Camilo Duran and Elvin Jafarguliyev scoring either side of a Sven Botman header to claw back some pride, but ultimately the Magpies progressed 9-3 on aggregate.
In the process, they ensured that the Premier League will have six representatives in the next round, with Howe's men joining Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham on the big stage.
Either the Chelsea or Barcelona will be heading for Tyneside next month for Newcastle's groundbreaking last-16 clash.
Howe's side, who handed a first senior start to 21-year-old defender Alex Murphy, will then travel to south-west London or Catalonia with a place in the quarter-final at stake.
Howe had revealed in the run-up to the game that reaching the knockout stage proper had been the club's principal objective for the campaign, but now that they are there, they will not be satisfied simply to be taking part and will have their sights set on even bigger things.