BARÇA COULDN’T HOLD ON TO THE 0-1
The FC Barcelona returned this Wednesday to the Champions League, and also to the eighth of final of the maximum competition of clubs, and did it like a lot of culés expected: intense and decided. And it is that the visit to the Naples in Diego Armando Maradona began with a Barça that already to the 3 minutes saw to Lamine Yamal shooting to the long stick of Meret, something diverted, but already leaving clear to what could confront the defenders napolitanos.
With clear ideas to attack, the Barcelona team installed in the rival field with a big high pressure to prevent that the venues could have control of the possession, and of his own exit. In fact, the culés brushed a command of 80% of the balloon in the first 10 minutes, moment in which besides the Barça added two actions more than danger after a centre from the left of Cancel to Lamine that finally was intercepted and a back zurdazo that soltó Yamal after doing his characteristic dribbling from the right part of the field to the rival goal.
The Barça took advantage of his good start to dominate the first minutes of the party
In an alike dynamics passed the first time between Catalans and napolitanos, with the ones of house trying move away the maximum possible of his goal and besides find to his two stars, Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia, but the Barça followed recovering the balloon of way very simple and like this showed it with two new occasions of goal when already it had fulfilled the minute 20 of party.
Perhaps in the best moment of the ones of Xavi in the first 45′, first Cancel went back to do one of his like left side and after arriving to background line, stuck and found with a pass backwards to Robert Lewandowski, the one who of left-handed tried to cross his finish. But the ‘9’ found with the resistance of the guardameta Meret, clearly the best of his team in the first-half.
A pair of minutes afterwards, to the 23′, Ilkay Gündogan wanted to leave his footprint in the return of the Barça to an eliminatory of Champions with a finish that had like destination the upper angle right of the goal of the Naples, but Meret appeared once again. The Italian flew and sent the balloon of the German to the shot of corner, cutting like this what was the last big occasion of the ones of Xavi in the first time and marking besides the start of a ‘loop’ in which they played the last 20 minutes of the first-half.
The party went in in a zone of a lot of imprecision
The Barça seemed unable to go back to be this intense and dynamic team to the hour of presionar, and the Naples understood that now it was the moment to position in rival field, but his recent change of trainer, and low moment of form, prevented him can create game of clear way, for saying it of a kind way. The reality is that the Italians simply could not give two passes followed and only the step backwards of the Barcelona team allowed them equalise a party in which both went to the rest leaving clear that are far of his best version futbolística.
The second half would begin with a similar rhythm, full of a lot of impresiciones and with some Naples that tried to move away of his goal with the little clarity that his midfield allowed him. While, the Barça evidenciaba a posture a bit warier that the one of the start of the party, avoiding suffer a so much against in the first minutes and besides trying recover the balloon without leaving spaces that could take advantage of the local team.
Of this way arrived the hour of party, with a Barça that every time saw more comfortable regarding the circulation of the balloon and reflected it in the marker after a big balloon filtered of Iñigo Martínez to Pedri in three chambers of the field of Naples. The Canarian, very to his style, raised the head and situated quickly to Robert Lewandowski that received a pair of steps inside the area, a zone that dominates like few.
The second time delivered in better minutes of each side
From there the Pole did the gap and executed the hard shot, adjusted to the stick, imparable now yes in front of the pulled of Meret. Second goal in this Champions for the Barcelona forward, the one who besides broke a bad series of four parties without marking in the European competition and extended his good moment with the goal in this important phase of the season, being his fifth party been still in the one who attains to see door.
The Barça tried to achieve this ideal stage of a 0-2 in the following minutes and to the 65′ was very near with a big zurdazo of Pedri, in this occasion yes being prevented by Meret, that clearly was the best of his if we take into account the 90 minutes that contested this Wednesday in the ancient Saint Paolo. But that intention culé finished to turn off totally when the Naples moved the bench and minutes afterwards, to the 75′, attained to balance again the marker.
Osimhen, taking advantage of his big physical profile and his intelligence like leading centre, won a dispute inside the area to Iñigo Martínez that it wanted to anticipate to the pass and finish in the lawn while the Nigerian recibiía and turned to remain facing Ter Stegen. The goleador African solved the occasion with a shot crossed to the long stick, winning to the German with a lot of ease and already without marking any.
Technical index card of the party: Naples 1-1 FC Barcelona
- Naples: Meret; I Gave Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Juan Jesus, Olivera; Lobotka, Cajuste, Zambo Anguissa; Politano, Kvaratskhelia and Oshimen
- FC Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Koundé, Araújo, Iñigo, Cancel; Christensen, Frenkie of Jong, Gündogan, Pedri; Lamine and Lewandowski
- Referee: Felix Zawyer
- Incidences: corresponding Party to the gone of the eighth of final of the Champions League 2023-2024.
- Goals of the party: 0-1, Lewandowski (min. 60); 1-1, Osimhen (min. 75);
