Four years later, Barcelona is once more rejoicing over a Champions League quarterfinal victory. The five-time European champions defeated Napoli 3-1 on Tuesday to advance back to the quarterfinals. Following a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Italy three weeks prior, Barcelona advanced 4-2 on aggregate thanks to goals from Fermín López, João Cancelo, and Robert Lewandowski. Napoli, which failed to duplicate its last-eight performance from the previous season, when it achieved its first-ever knockout round victory, was led by Amir Rrahmani’s goal. Barcelona had not advanced past the group phase in the previous two years and have not encountered the German club in the semifinals since 2019–20.
Sergi Roberto,
a midfield player for Barcelona, remarked, “It was an amazing night.” Four years had passed since this club was at its rightful place. We must savor this moment. Tuesday’s other Champions League encounter saw Arsenal defeat Porto in a penalty shootout following an aggregate score of 1-1. Barcelona may have one more genuine opportunity to win a championship this season in the Champions League. It now trails Real Madrid, the top of the Spanish league, by seven points after being eliminated in the Copa del Rey. The departure of coach Xavi Hernández at the end of the season has already been announced.
Xavi declared,
“It is an excellent match, really complete.” “Our squad has faced unjustified criticism, and this evening we showed that we are prepared for action in Europe. We are one of Europe’s top eight teams. We must take pleasure in it. Barcelona, which has recently been having financial difficulties, will also benefit financially from the win. In their six encounters with Napoli in all competitions, the Catalan club has never lost. It had trouble containing the Italian side when they took the lead early on at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. The onslaught of Napoli frequently put goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen, who was playing in his 100th UEFA match, to the test.
After several counterattack opportunities for Barcelona, Lewandowski clinched the victory in the 83rd minute with a close-range goal thanks to a Roberto assist. In his last 13 Champions League knockout games, Lewandowski has scored 13 goals. After Raphinha’s low cross in the 15th minute, which also set up Cancelo’s goal two minutes later, López gave the home team the lead with a shot from the center of the field. When the nation’s striker knocked a post while inside the penalty area, the soccer ball bounced back, giving cancellation a straightforward chance to score. In the thirtyth minute, Rrahmani scored his first goal in Europe for Napoli with a low left-footed effort.
Coach Francesco Calzona of Napoli stated,
“We gave them too much space, we lost possession often, we started with the wrong attitude and didn’t defend well.” In the 68th minute, a goal by Barcelona teenager Lamine Yamal was disallowed for offside. Barcelona defeated Napoli 4-2 on aggregate in the round of 16 the previous time it participated in the playoffs. Due to injury, Xavi was still unable to rely on Pedri, Frenkie De Jong, and Ferran Torres, among other players. As a center defender, he partnered with Pau Cubarsí, 17. Who made his European debut and was chosen man of the match. For his efforts to contain Napoli’s onslaught. Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, and Manchester City are the other teams that have made it to the last eight.
Blog By:- ExpertSadar
