Barcelona’s exciting 3-1 triumph at home against Napoli in their last-16 second leg handed them a well-deserved 4-2 aggregate victory on Tuesday, propelling them into the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time in four years.
The hosts took the lead early on with to goals from Fermin Lopez and Joao Cancelo. Amir Rrahmani then reduced the deficit before halftime, but Robert Lewandowski sealed the victory with a late third.
After a 1-1 draw in Naples, Napoli defeated Barca 3-1 at home to repeat their Champions League match from 2020. Prior to this match, Napoli had never defeated Barca in five meetings.
That was also the Catalans’ most recent qualification for the round of eight and their last victory in a competition knockout round match.
“I’m overjoyed that Barcelona is among Europe’s top eight. Barca coach Xavi Hernandez told Mediaset, “It was a well-deserved qualification, a game dominated in attack and defense but also an excellent game by Napoli.”
We’re happy with the qualification, and the draw’s outcome will be observed. Happy to return to the quarterfinals after a long absence.”
Barca pressed high early on in a very intriguing match at Montjuic Stadium, giving Napoli little time to settle. The few attacks the visitors managed to mount ended with Victor Osimhen offside.
PRIOR OPENER
In the fifteenth minute, Cancelo set up Raphinha down the left flank, cut into the area, and pulled back a pass that Lewandowski let to run to Fermin, who was unmarked and calmly placed his shot into the bottom left corner. This was the first goal of the game.
Barca extended their lead before Napoli could regroup. In an attempt to draw even, the visitors advanced, but Barcelona quickly replied.
Cancelo was there to smash his first-time effort into the net after a brilliant cross-field ball from Lamine Yamal found Raphinha, who cut into the area and mistakenly stepped in front of Giovanni Di Lorenzo before curling a shot that rebounded off the far post.
Francesco Calzona, the manager of Napoli, stated, “There is disappointment because we came here to try to win and we didn’t succeed.”
“We got off to a very bad start, if you concede so much to this team in the long run you lose it.”
At the half-hour mark, Napoli managed to break through when Matteo Politano beat Cancelo in the area and returned the ball to Rrahmani, who scored with a sidefooted shot past goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen after running the ball from the back.
After the break, Lewandowski and Ilkay Gundogan forced two excellent saves out of the visiting goalkeeper Alex Meret, but he was powerless to save the game’s winning goal.
In order to end Napoli’s aspirations, Lewandowski and Gundogan executed a beautiful one-two. Gundogan then sent the ball in to Roberto, whose swift pass allowed the Polish striker to tap in the goal.
Napoli, the first-ever Italian champions to make it to the quarterfinals of the previous season, lost their finest opportunity to tie the score just minutes earlier when Jesper Lindstrom glanced just wide.
Trevor Stynes reported, and Ken Ferris edited.
