FC Barcelona secured their place in the Champions League quarterfinals on Wednesday with a 3-1 victory over Napoli at the Camp Nou.
The Catalan giants took an early lead through Ferran Torres in the 15th minute, and Joao Cancelo doubled their advantage just two minutes later. Napoli pulled one back through Amir Rrahmani in the 30th minute, but Robert Lewandowski sealed the win for Barcelona with a goal in the 83rd minute.
The victory was Barcelona’s first in the knockout stages of the Champions League since 2020, and it marked a significant step forward for the club under manager Xavi Hernandez.
Dominant Start
Barcelona started the match brightly and took the lead when Torres converted a cross from Ousmane Dembele. Cancelo made it 2-0 with a stunning strike from outside the box.
Napoli was stunned by Barcelona’s early dominance and struggled to create any clear-cut chances in the first half.
Napoli Fight Back
Napoli improved after the break and pulled one back through Rahmani, who headed home a corner from Piotr Zielinski.
The goal gave Napoli hope, and they pushed for an equalizer in the second half. However, Barcelona defended resolutely and limited Napoli to few clear-cut chances.
Lewandowski Seals the Win
Barcelona finally put the game to bed in the 83rd minute when Lewandowski scored his 25th goal. The Polish striker converted a cross from Raphinha to make it 3-1 and seal Barcelona’s place in the quarterfinals.
Xavi’s Delight
Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez was delighted with his team’s performance.
“I’m thrilled with the team’s performance,” Xavi said. “We played a great game and deserved to win. We controlled the game from start to finish and created many chances.
“This is a big win for us. We’re back in the quarterfinals of the Champions League, and we’re now one step closer to our goal of winning the trophy.”
Napoli’s Disappointment
Napoli manager Luciano Spalletti was disappointed with his team’s performance but praised Barcelona for their quality.
“We didn’t play well tonight,” Spalletti said. We made too many mistakes and didn’t create enough chances.
“Barcelona is a great team, and they deserve to win. They were better than us in every aspect of the game.
“We’re disappointed to be out of the Champions League, but we can learn from this experience and come back stronger next season.”
Quarterfinal Draw
Barcelona will learn their quarterfinal opponents when the draw is made on Friday, March 17.
The other teams in the quarterfinals are:
- Bayern Munich
- Manchester City
- Inter Milan
- Real Madrid
- Chelsea
- Liverpool
- Benfica
