Newcastle United settled matters early and put one and a half feet into the quarter-finals of the Champions League, after achieving a sweeping and historic away victory against their Azerbaijani hosts, Qarabag, with a score of (6-1), in the match that brought them together on Wednesday evening as part of the first leg of the round of 16 of the most prestigious continental competition.

Newcastle's goal-scoring festival details

The visitors gave the home side no time to catch their breath, with Newcastle opening the scoring after just three minutes through their star striker Anthony Gordon. The Magpies' attacking onslaught continued, with defender Malick Thiaw adding a second goal in the eighth minute, leaving the Qarabag defense in early disarray.

Anthony Gordon continued his exceptional performance, returning to score his team's third goal and his second from a penalty kick in the 32nd minute. Just one minute later, in the 33rd minute, Newcastle extended their lead with a fourth goal, before Gordon concluded the first half by scoring his personal hat-trick and his team's fifth goal from another penalty kick in the 45th minute, ending the first half with a resounding 5-0 lead.

In the second half, the home side tried to save face and managed to reduce the deficit with a single goal scored by Elvin Sefer Cliffe in the 54th minute. However, Newcastle refused to let the match end without a final touch, as Jacob Murphy scored the sixth goal in the 72nd minute, confirming the overwhelming superiority of the English team.

The return of the Macbes to the European scene

This resounding victory underscores the remarkable progress Newcastle United's sporting project has made in recent years. After years of absence from the Champions League knockout stages, the team has returned to prove itself a force to be reckoned with in European competition, benefiting from administrative and technical stability and strong reinforcements that have transformed the club into a formidable opponent capable of challenging Europe's elite away from home.

Technical differences and determining qualification

The match highlighted the vast technical and physical gap between the Premier League and their opponents, with Newcastle dominating the game from start to finish. This result serves as a strong message from Newcastle to the rest of the competition, indicating that the team is ready to go far in this edition.

With this result, the return leg, scheduled for 11 pm next Tuesday at St. James' Park, has become a celebratory outing for Newcastle fans, and an opportunity for the coach to rest some key players in preparation for upcoming domestic and continental commitments, as the Azerbaijani team needs a football miracle to overcome this large deficit.

The Al-Nassr Saudi Club lineup witnessed the return of international goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi to the starting lineup in the "Global" jersey during the match against Turkmenistan's Arkadağ, as part of the second leg of the Round of 16 of the AFC Champions League 2. This return comes after a notable absence of eight consecutive matches, including the Saudi League and the Asian Championship, due to a strict technical decision by the Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus.

The crisis that sidelined Al-Aqeedi stems from a series of costly errors, most notably during the Riyadh derby against arch-rivals Al-Hilal in matchday 15 of the Saudi Professional League. Al-Nassr lost that match 3-1, and Al-Aqeedi was subsequently sent off. This wasn't an isolated incident; similar mistakes occurred in the Al-Qadisiyah match, which Al-Nassr also lost 2-1. These errors directly contributed to Al-Nassr losing their league lead and dropping to second place, prompting coach Jorge Jesus to rely solely on Brazilian goalkeeper Pinto.

In a related development, Brazilian goalkeeper Pinto proved his worth during Al-Aqeedi's absence. Pinto had been close to leaving the club during the last winter transfer window, but Al-Aqeedi's situation gave him a lifeline. Pinto seized the opportunity brilliantly, as evidenced by his impressive statistics. He participated in 18 matches, conceding only 10 goals and keeping a clean sheet in 11 games, totaling 1620 minutes of play. This put considerable pressure on Al-Aqeedi to reclaim his starting position.

On a continental level, this match holds particular significance for Saudi clubs seeking to dominate Asian competitions across all their various formats. The AFC Champions League presents Al-Nassr with a golden opportunity to add another continental title to their trophy cabinet, making goalkeeper rotation and testing their readiness crucial for coach Jesus to ensure continued competitiveness on all fronts.

Before the match against Arkadag, Jesus held a private meeting with Nawaf Al-Aqidi, assuring him that he remained a "trump card" for the team. He also stressed the importance of avoiding the naive mistakes that had cost the team valuable points this season. It's worth noting that Al-Aqidi (26 years old) has participated in 12 matches this season (including the Arkadag game), conceding 12 goals and keeping a clean sheet in only 4 matches across 1050 minutes of play. This makes his return a true test of his abilities and a chance to regain the trust of Al-Nassr's fans and coaching staff.

In a move aimed at correcting the course and saving the team's season, the management of Al-Shabab Saudi Club officially announced, on Tuesday evening, the signing of the veteran Algerian coach Noureddine Benzekri to take over the technical leadership of the first football team for the remainder of the current 2025/2026 season, succeeding the Spanish coach Manuel Algawasil, who was dismissed due to poor results.

The return of the "architect of survival" to Saudi stadiums

Noureddine Benzekri's name is not unfamiliar to Saudi fans, as the 61-year-old coach boasts an impressive track record and a long history in the Saudi Professional League. This marks his sixth stint in the Kingdom, where he has earned a distinguished reputation as a "man for tough jobs" or a "survival engineer," thanks to his exceptional ability to rescue teams from relegation and ensure their survival in the top flight.

Historically, Ben Zekri has achieved dramatic success stories with several clubs. In the 2018/19 season, he saved Al-Fayha from relegation to the second division, and repeated the feat with Damac in the 2019/20 season, then Al-Akhdoud in the 2023/24 season, and most recently succeeded in keeping Al-Kholoud in the top tier of the Roshan League in the 2024/25 season. This accumulated experience made him the ideal choice to manage Al-Shabab at this critical time.

Major challenges facing “Al-Layouth”

Ben Zekri's task at the home of the "Sheikh of Clubs" will be anything but easy, as Al-Shabab is going through a very difficult period both technically and psychologically. The team currently sits in 14th place in the Roshan League standings with only 19 points (collected from 4 wins, 7 draws, and 10 losses), a position unbecoming of the club's illustrious history. Even more alarming is the fact that the gap between Al-Shabab and the first relegation spot (16th place, currently occupied by Al-Riyadh) is a mere 6 points, placing the team under immense pressure.

The Algerian coach faces a technical challenge in repairing the dilapidated defensive system, as Al-Shabab’s net has been breached 31 times in the league, while its attack has only scored 21 goals in 21 matches, figures that reflect the major imbalance in the team.

A glimmer of hope and a digital journey

Despite the domestic setback and exit from the King's Cup, the team showed a strong continental reaction by qualifying for the next round of the Gulf Champions League, after a sweeping and historic victory with a score of (13-0) over Yemen's Al-Tadhamon Hadramout last night, which may be built on by Ben Zakri to raise the morale of the players.

The following is a review of Ben Zekri's most prominent statistics from his previous experiences, which Al-Shabab fans rely on:

• Al-Raed (2012/13): 17 matches (4 wins, 4 draws, 9 losses).
• Al-Fayha (2018/19): 12 matches (5 wins, 2 draws, 5 losses).
• Damac (2019/20): 39 matches (12 wins, 9 draws, 18 losses).
• Al-Akhdoud (2023/24): 7 matches (2 wins, 3 draws, 2 losses).
• Eternity (2024/25): 28 matches (11 wins, 3 draws, 14 losses).

The youth fans are now waiting to see what will come of the touches of Ben Zekri, who is known for his great enthusiasm and ability to motivate the players, hoping that he will succeed in restoring the prestige of the Lions before it is too late.