It was a duel that pitted two teams going through a crisis of results and expectations. Naples and Barcelona are far from the objectives they set for themselves in the internal leagues, with the Neapolitans occupying an incredible 10th place (27 points behind first place), after being champions last season and the Catalans being third in Spain but already eight points behind leader Real Madrid and they too are perhaps too far away to consider the possibility of retaining the title. Therefore, the Champions League is seen by both teams as a possible “lifeline” for a season that, internally, will be one to forget. But this Wednesday, in Naples, it was clear that the problems of the still Italian and Spanish champions are deep and difficult to resolve. A 1-1 draw was an almost inevitable result.
With a new coach in office just 48 hours ago, Naples were more or less lost on the field, with a defensive and expectant attitude, handing over control of the game to Barcelona — the Neapolitans (where Mário Rui did not leave the bench) introduced Francesco Calzona as the team’s new coach on Monday, with the Italian (who also manages the Slovak national team) replacing Walter Mazzarri, who, in turn, had already been the replacement for the fired Rudi Garcia. A clear sign that the season of the still Italian champions has been disastrous: they have not been able to add more than two consecutive victories since the beginning of the season.
It was therefore natural that Barcelona were the most dangerous team on the field from the first minute. With João Cancelo in the starting line-up (one of the best) and João Félix (coming off the bench in the 85th minute), the Catalans had the only real chances to score during the first 45 minutes: first Lewandowski appeared in the small area to deflect the ball into the goal, forcing Meret to make a great save after a run by João Cancelo; then Gundogan forced the Italian goalkeeper into another great save, deflecting the German’s shot from outside the box for a corner.
Little for someone who was facing a shattered opponent, but it explains how this Barcelona is also far from healthy.
The second half began with Barcelona wasting another good opportunity, with another shot from outside the area by Gundogan (this time loose) for an attentive save by Meret. But this “Barça” is clearly a “sick” team, with many players lacking confidence, which makes their football less intense and unpredictable.
Thus, in a game between two uninspired teams, the inspiration of two of their “stars” was worth it. First Lewandowski, aged 35, who in the 60th minute, in a patient move by the Catalans, received a pass from Pedri at the edge of the opponent’s area and opened the scoring, scoring his fifth goal in the last four games and taking his number to 20 of accurate shots that he has already had this season.
Then Osimhen, who 15 minutes later, rolled over Iñigo Martínez and tied the score again, in a move “at the edge” of the Nigerian striker, and the only one that the Neapolitans were able to safely take to Ter Stegen’s goal, despite the “forcing” final.
2024-02-21 21:58:29
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