Barcelona defeated Napoli 3-1 in the second leg of their Round of 16 match at the Montjuïc Olympic Stadium on Tuesday, securing their spot in the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time in four years. Barça had an incredible start to the match, suffered terribly for the next forty-five minutes, but came through with a well-earned win to advance to the Last Eight of Europe’s premier championship.
The initial 20 minutes of the first half were, in a word, flawless. Barça started the game on the front foot, pressing high up the pitch with extraordinary brightness to win the ball back and prevent Napoli from having any joy with it. They did this by passing the ball quickly and incisively through the lines and by adopting a fierce mentality off the ball.
In addition to dominating the game, Barça also produced four excellent opportunities: After two excellent passes down the left wing, a through ball from João Cancelo found Raphinha, who crossed it back to the middle where Robert Lewandowski took out two defenders with a great dummy, giving Fermín López plenty of time and space to finish and give Barça the lead. Fermín López missed the first two, but the third time proved to be lucky for the young midfielder.
First Half
From the start, Napoli launched an attack and almost created a chance down the left wing, but Barça’s defense handled the situation and the counterattack resulted in the second goal and fourth chance: Lamine Yamal found Raphinha on the run, but the Brazilian’s powerful shot struck the inside of the post. João Cancelo was first to the rebound, passing the ball into an open net and doubling the Blaugrana lead.
The home team’s amazing start to the match helped calm both the players’ and the supporters’ concerns. The Catalans chose to play it safe and let Napoli have more possession of the ball while still applying pressure to force errors and create additional opportunities.
Second Half
Unable to hold the ball for long periods of time and not applying the same intensity and attention to detail to their press, Barça allowed Napoli to attack in behind more often in the opening moments of the final quarter. Although Pau Cubarsí and Ronald Araujo made a few crucial saves against Victor Osimhen, the Catalans were a bit overextended as the hour approached.
In the 80th minute, Jesper Lindstrom was left alone inside the six-yard box when Mathías Olivera’s cross reached him, but Lindstrom’s header flew strangely wide and the Catalans survived a serious danger. Yamal wasted a great opportunity to score that third goal, and Barça nearly paid for it right away.
While Barça managed to avoid giving up a second goal and the final whistle sent them to the quarterfinals, there were a few concerns in the last minutes as Napoli attempted everything to pull off a last-minute miracle.
Barça overcame a very challenging stretch in the middle of the game thanks to their outstanding start and great finish, and they fully deserved the win and a trip to the next round. For the most of the evening, nearly every player gave a spectacular performance, and Xavi made the appropriate decisions on the lineup and substitutions. A real team victory and, for once, a joyous evening in Europe.
