Anthony Gordon Scores Four in Newcastle History
Newcastle United's Anthony Gordon made Champions League history by scoring four goals in a dominant win over Qarabag, setting a new club record for the competition. The performance cements Gordon's reputation as one of the Champions League's rising stars and boosts Newcastle's momentum in European competition.
- The 6-1 victory took place in the first leg of the Champions League knockout playoff round at the Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium in Baku, Azerbaijan. - All four of Gordon's goals were scored in the first half, with two coming from penalties. He is only the second player in Champions League history to score four goals in the first half of a match. - Gordon's goals in the 32nd, 33rd, and 45th minutes marked the fastest Champions League hat-trick ever scored by an English player. - With this performance, Gordon surpassed Alan Shearer as Newcastle's top scorer in a single European season, taking his tally to 10 in the competition. - The other goals for Newcastle were scored by Malick Thiaw and Jacob Murphy, while Elvin Cafarquliyev scored a consolation goal for Qarabag. - This was Newcastle's first appearance in a Champions League knockout fixture, and the trip was the longest an English team has ever made for a knockout game in the competition. - The win equaled the club's biggest-ever victory in a European competition. - Barring an upset in the second leg at St James' Park, Newcastle is expected to face either Barcelona or Chelsea in the last 16.
