Champions League: Newcastle through to last 16, Bodo/Glimt shock Inter Milan
Glimt's Hakon Evjen celebrates after scoring his side's second goal. Pic: AP Photo/Luca Bruno
Eddie Howe guided Newcastle into the last 16 of the Champions League for the first time as they sealed their passage from the play-offs with an entertaining 3-2 home victory over Qarabag.
The tie was effectively over before a ball was kicked at St James' Park after last week's 6-1 first leg win in Baku, and it certainly was within six minutes of kick-off thanks to quickfire goals from Sandro Tonali and Joelinton.
Camilo Duran and Elvin Jafarguliyev scored either side of Sven Botman's second-half header to make thinks interesting, 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 Blues or Barcelona will be heading for Tyneside next month before Newcastle, who handed a first senior start to 21-year-old defender Alex Murphy, 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.
Meanwhile, Bodo/Glimt have knocked Inter Milan out, winning 5-2 on aggregate.
The Norwegians shocked their Italian counterparts after the interval as Jens Petter Hauge capitalised on Manuel Akanji’s mistake before Hakon Evjen gave them a two-goal second-leg lead.
Alessandro Bastoni finally found a way through for Inter in response but it was too late for them to mount a comeback.
Elsewhere, Atletico Madrid striker Alexander Sorloth scored a hat-trick as the Spanish side saw off Belgium’s Club Brugge to advance to the last 16 with a 7-4 aggregate triumph.
Johnny Cardoso scored the other goal for the home side while Joel Ordonez netted for Brugge in the 36th minute.
Atletico opened the scoring after Brugge’s Hugo Vetlesen had two good chances blocked in the early stages as the Belgians came out of the blocks with attacking intent and a high-pressing game despite being unfancied after a 3-3 draw in the first leg last week.
Sorloth cracked home a shot that squeezed under the body of Brugge’s veteran goalkeeper Simon Mignolet in the 23rd minute.
Brugge, however, netted a deserved equaliser from a set-piece. Brandon Mechele flicked on Christos Tzolis's corner from the left leaving Ordonez with a simple close-range header.
While Brugge were competitive in the first half, they faded after the break.
The home lead was restored two minutes into the second half when Cardoso hit home an effort from the edge of the penalty box. Mechele cleared Giuliano Simeone’s cross from the left, but his header fell for Cardoso who controlled with his chest before converting with his right foot.
Sorloth’s second came in the 76th minute, sidefooting home with his left after passes between substitutes Ademola Lookman and Antoine Griezmann set him up for an easy finish.
The Norway international then converted Matteo Ruggeri's cross from the left at the back post with another side-footed finish in the 87th minute to complete his hat-trick and emphasise Atletico’s second-half dominance.
In the night's other meeting, Bayer Leverkusen progressed with a 2-0 aggregate win over Olympiacos after a 0-0 stalemate in Germany.
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