Champions League
Barcelona Cruises To UCL Quarter-Finals After Beating Napoli
Barcelona secured their spot in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals with a 3-1 victory over Napoli, sealing a 4-2 aggregate win in the Round of 16 ties at Montjuic.
The hosts wasted no time declaring their dominance as they took an early lead through Fermín López, who calmly finished from a beautiful pass from Raphinha. Just minutes later, Barcelona doubled their advantage in a quick counter-attack which João Cancelo capitalized on a rebound to find the back of the net.
Napoli, however, showed their resilience and_ quickly responded with a well-worked goal from Amir Rrahmani, courtesy of Matteo Politano’s precise assist. The Italian side continued to press forward, with Politano coming close to equalizing with a looping header that was expertly saved by’ Barcelona’s goalkeeper, Marc-André ter Stegen.
Both teams pushed for more goals in the second half, with opportunities on both ends. Napoli’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and_ André-Frank Zambo Anguissa came close but were unable to convert, while Barcelona’s Raphinha and_ İlkay Gündoğan kept Napoli’s defense on their toes.
As the game reached its final stages, Barcelona found the breathing space they needed when Gündoğan set up Sergi Roberto, who then assisted Robert Lewandowski for a simple finish, extending their lead to 3-1. Despite Napoli’s efforts, including a near miss from Mathías Olivera hitting the crossbar, Barcelona held firm to secure their spot in the quarter-finals.
Barcelona’s victory marks their return to the UCL quarter-finals for the first time since the 2019/20 season and_ also extends their unbeaten run to nine games. Xavi Hernández’s faith in youth, showed by’ the inclusion of young talents like Lamine Yamal and_ Pau Cubarsí, which paid off as Barcelona displayed experience and_ maturity on the European stage.
