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.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino confirmed on Wednesday that all 104 matches of the 2026 World Cup will be played in "full stadiums," dispelling doubts about the impact of high ticket prices on fan attendance, despite tickets still being available ahead of the tournament scheduled to begin on June 11.

In an exclusive interview with CNBC, Infantino confidently stated, "The demand is strong; every match will be played in packed stadiums," referring to the resounding success of the second phase of ticket sales, which concluded last January. The FIFA president revealed astronomical figures reflecting the fans' passion, noting that "508 million ticket applications were received in just four weeks, competing for approximately seven million available tickets. These applications came from more than 200 countries worldwide.".

Record numbers and a new tournament format

This edition of the World Cup is of exceptional historical importance, as it is the first in the history of the World Cup tournaments to witness the participation of 48 teams instead of 32, the system that had been in place since the 1998 World Cup in France. This great expansion raised the number of matches to 104 matches, which poses unprecedented logistical and organizational challenges for the three host countries: the United States of America, Canada, and Mexico.

Infantino commented on the public turnout, saying: "We have never seen anything like this before, it is amazing," explaining that FIFA "reserved a portion of the tickets for the last-minute sales phase" which will begin in April and continue until the end of the World Cup on July 19, to ensure that the opportunity is available to the largest number of fans.

Price controversy and Super Bowl comparison

Regarding the criticism leveled by fan groups about ticket prices being described as "exorbitant" and reaching record levels on the black market, Infantino defended the pricing strategy using a striking analogy to the American market, saying: "It's like having 104 Super Bowls in one month," referring to the NFL Final, which is the most expensive and most-watched sporting event in the United States, adding that this momentum "naturally reflects on the prices.".

The FIFA president explained the pricing mechanism, saying, "Official ticket prices are fixed, but you have, particularly in the United States, what's known as dynamic pricing, which means prices rise or fall depending on demand and the importance of the match." He added, "You can also resell your tickets through official platforms, i.e., the secondary market, and prices will rise again. That's part of the nature of an open market.".

Huge financial returns for game development

On the economic front, Infantino estimated FIFA's revenue from this exceptional edition at "$11 billion, perhaps a little more." This figure represents a significant leap compared to previous tournaments, reflecting the economic strength of the North American market. Infantino emphasized in closing that these revenues would not simply accumulate in FIFA's coffers, but rather that "every dollar is reinvested in football across the 211 member associations" of the international federation, with the aim of developing football infrastructure and talent worldwide.

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.