Barcelona hosted Napoli in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16, after the first leg ended 1-1 in Naples.
The home team came into the game without injured midfield duo Pedri and Frenkie de Jong. 17-year-old centre-back Pau Cubarsi made his CL debut.
Napoli, with Jens Cajuste on the bench, didn’t miss a single player – but when the match started, you saw Barcelona pull away.
With a quarter of an hour played, Fermin Lopez met a cross from the left by Raphinha to make it 1-0. Two minutes later came the second.
Barcelona flew forward on a counterattack, Raphinha hit the post and an alert Joao Cancelo raked in the rebound to make it 2-0.
– What football they play in the first few minutes! It is a short passing game combined with a deep passing game. I love it, TV4 Play’s expert commentator Marcelo Fernandez said on the broadcast.
In the 30th minute, Napoli got in touch. Amir Rrahmani plunged into the penalty area and was served a golden opportunity by Matteo Politano. The center back was cool and 2-1 was a fact.
Shortly afterwards, Giovanni Di Lorenzo headed towards goal and Marc-André ter Stegen made a one-handed save. The German tipped the ball out to the corner and it was 2-1 at the break.
The second half was very much about Barcelona, but just when they poured on, Napoli had a dream position to equalise. The post reached incoming Dane Jesper Lindstrøm – who nodded wide.
The miss was fatal. Sergi Roberto found Robert Lewandowski sideways and the top scorer was able to roll in 3-1 with 84 on the clock.
Napoli had both one and two opportunities to reduce, but did not find the right one and must return home to an Italy where they are the reigning champions.
Barcelona wins the round of 16 with a total of 4-2 and there won’t be ten million euros from Napoli’s club president Aurelio De Laurentiis to the players, as promised before the match.
For its part, “Barça” is in the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 2020. Then they went out against Bayern Munich with a total of 8-2.
– It has been difficult years for the club, but now we are on our way back and I am very happy for the team, says Pau Cubrasi to TV4 Play after the match.
The 17-year-old thus made his Champions League debut and was named player of the match.
Mines were gloomier in Napoli, not least with the midfield engine Stanislav Lobotka.
– Football is about details. If we don’t press well enough, Barcleona have enough quality to get out of it. They show that they hold high class. We do our best, everyone in the team gives one hundred percent. Now we just have to focus on the next match (against Milan), he tells TV4 Play and continues:
– Had we made it 2-2 and taken it to extra time… As I said, it’s all about details. If we get a small chance, we have to take it. They created more chances and have a lot of quality. For our part, I hope that at the end of the season we can look back and be proud of ourselves.
Startelvor:
Barcelona (4-3-3): Ter Stegen; Koundé, Araujo, Cubarsi, Cancelo; Fermin Lopez, Christensen, Gundogan; Lamine Yamal, Lewandowski, Wing
Napoli (4-3-3): Meret; Lawrence, Rrahmani, John Jesus, Mario Rui; Forest Anguissa, Lobotka, Traore; Politano, Osimhen, Quartermaster.
You can see all matches in the Champions League on TV4 Play.
