Last night Barcelona shined in the Champions League as they swept over Napoli in a 3-1 win to qualify for the quarter-finals. The first leg ended in 1-1 in Naples, a what was considered a good result for Barcelona against the Italian defending champions.  

Within 17 minutes of play, the Barcelona led 2-0 over Napoli in the Champions League, with Raphinha supplying the assists on both goals. Fermin Lopez, who has been in outstanding form, scored the first of these two goals when the Brazilian sent a pass to him inside the penalty area, and he coolly finished the shot into the bottom corner.

Raphinha then had the opportunity to score a goal when his effort from inside the penalty area went just wide of the right post. After a throw-in, Raphinha made a tough move to get the final touch before the ball bobbled to Joao Cancelo, who scored into the center of the goal.

It was half an hour into the first half, but Napoli's unpleasant task of having to score two goals away from home was accomplished. It was a team goal that served as a reminder of why Luciano Spalletti was able to lead this squad to such success the previous season. Finally, Matteo Politano released Amir Rrahmani inside the box, and Rrahmani's shot was deftly placed into the back of the net.

Napoli Unlucky 

It would be an overstatement to assume that Barcelona's defensive resolve was guaranteed, given Napoli's efforts to tie the game. Napoli controlled the game over Barcelona and took all of the chances from the beginning of the second half, in what could have been a Champions League UPSET.

Victor Osimhen broke loose and looked to have been pulled down within the penalty area, but the referee waived away appeals. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia first steadied himself inside the area before hitting wide. After that, Raphinha made Alex Meret save, reminding Napoli of Barcelona's potency when attacking on the break with a deft parry of the ball.

Although Lamine Yamal believed he had scored a game-winning goal, it was disallowed for offside. Robert Lewandowski eventually scored this game-ending goal as Napoli sent players forward in an attempt to equalize.The Polish forward was set up for an easy touch into an empty net after Sergi Roberto played a pass to him, guaranteeing Barcelona's spot in the quarterfinal.

Stay up-to-date with the latest news by reading our blog.

Stay connected with us on our social networks for the latest updates Instagram, Facebook, and X

Image credit of GettyImages