Anthony Gordon struck four times in the first half as Newcastle United thrashed Qarabag 6-1 away in their Champions League playoff first leg on Wednesday, to all but book their place in the last 16.
Gordon opened the scoring in the third minute and Malick Thiaw headed in from a corner six minutes later to earn an early two-goal lead.
The 24-year-old Englishman made it 3-0 from the spot in the 32nd minute following a handball, added his third a minute later after a defensive error and converted another penalty in added time before the break, when keeper Mateusz Kochalski brought him down inside the box.
It was Gordon’s 10th goal in this season’s Champions League, more than Harry Kane (8) and Erling Haaland (7), with only Kylian Mbappe (13) ahead of him.
Elvin Jafarguliyev pulled one back in the 56th before substitute Jacob Murphy’s deflected strike in the 72nd sealed a dominant win for the Premier League side in Baku.
"His all-round game was really strong"
Eddie Howe was full of praise for Anthony Gordon following Newcastle's 6-1 win over Qarabag 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/4RIcaoZXtS
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) February 19, 2026
Eddie Howe’s injury-hit side, the only Premier League team not to qualify directly for the last 16, arrived in Azerbaijan on the back of successive away wins over Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League and Aston Villa in the FA Cup.
They made it three on the spin in style, despite missing eight first-team players including captain Bruno Guimaraes,wasting no time on what was the longest journey ever undertaken by an English club for a Champions League away match, the 2,529-mile trip from Newcastle upon Tyne to Baku.
Gordon opened the scoring in the third minute, finishing neatly to the keeper’s right after Dan Burn surged forward from a throw-in and threaded a pass through the defence.
The visitors doubled their lead six minutes later from a short corner on the left wing, Kieran Trippier delivering a lofted cross to the far post where Thiaw rose highest to head home.
Gordon made it three in the 32nd from the penalty spot after VAR spotted a handball by Matheus Silva. A minute later he pounced on a defensive error to race clear and fire past Kochalski, before hitting his fourth from the spot right before the break.
At Newcastle’s pre match presser in Paris, I asked Anthony Gordon to explain the difference between Champions League football and the Premier League. His answer 👇 pic.twitter.com/FvzVLJgb0G
— Oma Akatugba (@omaakatugba) January 27, 2026
Howe made several changes in the second half with the win all but secured.
Jafarguliyev’s close-range effort was initially ruled out for offside before VAR overturned the decision, with Murphy’s goal wrapping up the easy win for Newcastle, as Qarabag now face a daunting task in the return leg in England.
Also on Wednesday night, Bodo/Glimt secured an upset 3-1 victory over Serie A leaders Inter Milan in their first leg.
The Norwegian side took the lead in the 20th minute when Kasper Hogh’s backheel set up Sondre Brunstad Fet, who calmly slotted into the bottom corner.
Inter equalised 10 minutes later through 20-year-old Pio Esposito, who turned sharply inside the box to fire in after Carlos Augusto’s through ball.
Despite dominating after the break, the visitors fell behind again when Jens Petter Hauge fired home following a defensive error.
Hogh netted the third three minutes later, converting from close range following Ole Didrik Blomberg’s precise assist.
Club Brugge equalise late to force 3-3 home draw with Atletico Madrid
Club Brugge’s Christos Tzolis tucked away a late equaliser to secure a dramatic 3-3 draw with Atletico Madrid as the Belgian side avoided defeat after an agonising own goal appeared to have cost them.
Tzolis slammed home an angled shot in the 89th minute to level the tie although the goal was initially ruled out for offside but then confirmed after a VAR check.
Brugge fought back from a 2-0 halftime deficit to level the score but then looked to have thrown it away when Joel Ordonez turned the ball into his own net in the 79th minute.
Bayer Leverkusen striker Patrik Schick struck twice in three minutes to steer his team to a 2-0 victory at Olympiacos.
The Czech forward slipped past his marker and slotted in on the hour mark before quickly bagging a second goal with a downward header from Alex Grimaldo’s corner.
It was the 30-year-old’s first double in a Champions League match and he took his goal tally to four from his last six appearances in the competition.
The Germans, whose last defeat across all competitions was to the Greek side in the league phase on January 20, also hit the bar in a pulsating first half.