Sandro Tonali was not pleased with Newcastle United’s display in the second half of Tuesday night’s Champions League win over Qarabag, which sealed their spot in the Round of 16.
The Magpies headed into the clash with an insurmountable 6-1 lead from the first leg and raced into a two-goal lead inside just six minutes.
However, they took their foot off the gas in the second half and almost let the lead slip, although they went on to win the tie 3-2 and progress on a 9-3 aggregate scoreline.
Speaking after the match, midfielder Tonali said they must always give their all and avoid complacency in their next round of matches.
“I’m not very happy for the second half because we play just for the result,” Tonali revealed.
“We have to do more because these fans deserve 100 per cent in every game.
“We can do 100 per cent more, we need to push every minute of the game.”
Newcastle took only four minutes to add to their first leg advantage when Tonali fired into the net from close range.
Joelinton doubled the tally two minutes later with a superb volleyed effort into the top corner.
Camilo Duran pulled one back for the visitors after beating Dan Burn with pace and firing past Aaron Ramsdale, before Sven Botman restored the two-goal cushion with a brilliant header from a corner kick.
Ramsdale then saved Marko Jankovic’s penalty, but Elvin Cafarguliyev was on hand to score the rebound as the game ended 3-2 in favour of Newcastle.
“The first thing was don’t concede a goal. The first ten minutes of the second half we concede the first goal. I think it was a stupid goal. Every time we concede a goal we are not happy. But we are happy because we progress in the Champions League. We are training a lot for this”, Tonali concluded.
Meanwhile, Newcastle will face either Chelsea or Barcelona in the next round with the draw scheduled for Friday.
Olakitan is a young writer with a strong passion for sports, having gained experience with IndyPress and Nimelssa Press. His enthusiasm for sports inspired him to cover events both within his school and beyond. With a deep understanding of the game and a refined skillset, he brings sports coverage to a broad, global audience in a way that’s engaging and accessible.
