
On a night when a BD Cricket Match was trending across sports feeds, Newcastle United delivered a statement of their own in the Champions League playoff first leg, crushing Qarabag 6-1 away from home. The Magpies wasted no time asserting control, and Anthony Gordon set the tone with a blistering performance that left defenders chasing shadows. He struck in the 3rd minute, added another in the 32nd and 33rd, and capped off the first-half demolition with a goal in stoppage time at 45+1. By halftime, it already felt like the champagne was on ice, with Newcastle effectively putting the tie to bed before the break.
Gordon’s four-goal masterclass earned him the match MVP and positioned him as the overwhelming favorite for Player of the Round. More importantly, his scoring surge reshaped the Champions League golden boot race. With 10 goals to his name, he has surged past Victor Osimhen and Gabriel Martinelli, moved ahead of Erling Haaland on seven, and even eclipsed Harry Kane on eight. Only Kylian Mbappe, sitting on 13 goals, remains ahead of him. For a 24-year-old leading the line in Europe’s most prestigious club competition, that is no small feat.
This season, everything seems to be falling into place for Gordon on the continental stage. He opened his campaign with a goal against Barcelona, followed it up with a brace against Union Saint-Gilloise, and then delivered both a goal and an assist against Benfica. He repeated that goal-and-assist combination versus Bayer Leverkusen and found the net again against PSV Eindhoven, equaling Alan Shearer’s long-standing record of six Champions League goals in a single season for a Newcastle player. After this stunning four-goal haul, there is little doubt he has become the driving force behind Newcastle’s European charge.
Such form could hardly come at a better time for England. The long-standing headache over who should back up Kane in the number nine role may finally have an answer. Gordon has not only outscored Kane in the Champions League this season but has also demonstrated versatility, thriving centrally while remaining capable of adapting across the frontline. At just 24, he combines composure with hunger, proving he can rise to the occasion when the spotlight is brightest. In a sporting week where even a BD Cricket Match can dominate headlines, Gordon’s explosive rise has captured equal attention, and as discussions about England’s World Cup plans gather pace alongside every BD Cricket Match update, his name now feels impossible to ignore.