Barcelona-Napoli 3-1: goals from Fermin, Cancelo, Rrhamani and Lewandowski

Barcelona had not reached the Champions League quarter-finals since 2020, when in the midst of the pandemic they eliminated Gattuso’s Napoli in the round of 16. Yesterday the encore, with the final 3-1 which after Maradona’s 1-1 draw sent home a Napoli who were first dazed and then generous, and finally subdued. Calzona’s first defeat in the sixth match takes Napoli out of this Champions League and also from the first giant-sized Club World Cup in 2025. Economic and psychological damage to a team that with 3 coaches has reached 13 defeats, more than double of the last miraculous season with Spalletti. The present of the Italian champion team is depressed, the future uncertain.

the choices

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In Napoli, completely blank, Mario Rui confirmed, assisting Kvara with Torino, and two changes: Traoré for Zielinski excluded in Europe and Rrahmani for Ostigard. In Barcelona, ​​the 17-year-old Cubarsì made his debut in the Champions League, leaving out Inigo Martinez, Fermin for Joao Felix in the coach’s hole with Raphinha on the left and Lamine Yamal on the right in the 4-2-3-1 with Lewandowski in attack. Barcelona is the first team in the history of the new Champions League to enter the field with two minors in a direct elimination match. As in Naples, Barcelona started much better than Napoli, and if they didn’t find the goal at Maradona, at Montjuic they scored twice in 121 seconds between the 15th and 17th minutes. First Fermin in the net, served by Raphinha, and then Cancelo, precise with the right foot with the ball coming to him from the post, who had rejected Raphinha’s shot served by the magnificent Lamine Yamal, who after a sombrero on Lobotka launched the Brazilian with a surgical ball. Incredible, the little boy.

change everything

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Barça dominates, Napoli flounders, Osimhen is controlled very well by Cubarsì and is always offside (4 times in the first 20′), but then suddenly the wind changes. On a throw-in on the right, Napoli scores a goal similar to the first scored in Reggio Emilia against Sassuolo. For Rrahmani the first goal in the Champions League came on an action on the right lane with Di Lorenzo and Politano (with Sassuolo it was Anguissa). The goal came in the 30th minute and 4 minutes after Ter Stegen with an exceptional flight and a great intervention with his left hand denied Di Lorenzo, caught in the area by Mario Rui. Barcelona sees the ghosts that have appeared to them with great regularity throughout the season. Suddenly fragile and scared and anxiously waiting for the break, with Napoli back in the game, and it’s a shame for Traoré’s poor control, caught only in the area by Kvaraktskhelia.

recovery

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The second half began with the same script as the end of the first part, with Napoli superior and Barça frozen in hope that time would pass. Osimhen asked for a penalty for a stomp from Cubarsi but referee Makkelie was not called to the video review. Barcelona came back with a shot from Raphinha saved by Meret, who after a shot from Anguissa blocked by Cubarsí was repeated on Raphinha and Lewandowski, with a goal disallowed for Lamine Yamal for obvious offside. Barça breathed, Meret stopped the shots of Gundogan and Raphinha, Lamine Yamal kicked out a very inviting ball, with the substitutions of Calzona, Olivera and Lindstrom for Mario Rui and Politano, they did not bring the desired results. Then Raspadori came on for Traoré. And in the 80th minute Napoli’s big chance arrived when Olivera picked out Lindstrom alone in the area, but the Dane’s header grazed the post. Huge opportunity, and cruel punishment: because 3 minutes later Lewandowski offered Barcelona qualification, with a simple touch on an assist from Sergi Roberto, who combined perfectly with Gundogan. The hopes of a Neapolitan remuntada hit the crossbar hit by Olivera, Napoli descends from the Montjuic mountain with morale on the ground, Barça returns to the main table of the Champions League.