Qarabag coach Gurban Gurbanov was quick to praise the home fans
Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe embraces Qarabag’s manager Gurban Gurbanov(Image: CameraSport via Getty Images)
Qarabag coach Gurban Gurbanov has praised the Newcastle United fans for how they conducted themselves in last night’s 3-2 Champions League victory at St James’ Park.
The Magpies were made to work hard in the second half after crusing into a two-goal lead, with the tie already over after a 6-1 first-leg victory.
The Azerbaijan outfit responded well to early goals from Sandro Tonali and Joelinton, with Camilo Duran and Elvin Cafarguliyev’s efforts either side of Sven Botman’s headed third goal, giving the scoreline some respectability on the night.
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United fans inside a packed St James’ Park responded warmly to Duran’s goal, something which Gurbanov was quick to acknowledge.
“I want to thank my players, because they have had a long and exciting campaign in the Champions League,” he said.
“I’m very pleased with each of them for the game, the performance and the character they showed. They also showed themselves in the best possible light against Newcastle. We conceded two goals early on, but the team managed to regroup and never gave up.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Newcastle fans. They applauded our good attacks and the goal we scored, and sometimes even cheered us on.
“I would also like to thank our fans who have been with us this season and supported our team until the end. We also tried to make them happy.”
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