- Victor Osimhen salvaged a first-leg draw for Napoli against Barcelona in the Champions League
- Lewandowski had put Barcelona in front in the 60th minute when he narrowed an effort into the bottom corner from the edge of the box
The Napoli vs Barcelona game played on Wednesday night ended draw after Victor Osimhen levelled the scores for the hosts with 15 minutes remaining. The Nigerian forward, who had served a ban in Napoli’s previous game after returning from the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), scored from inside the box to cancel Robert Lewandowski’s goal.
Lewandowski had put Barcelona in front in the 60th minute when he narrowed an effort into the bottom corner from the edge of the box. The Catalans, who are having a difficult campaign so far, will look to secure victory in the second leg on 12 March at at the Estadio Olimpico de Montjuic.
Napoli vs Barcelona. Photo/ China Daily.
Xavi described the performance by his team during the Napoli vs Barcelona match as a summary of their season.
“It is not a good result for the return leg. We were better in all aspects of the game, we had to control and we struggled, we weren’t effective up front, it was a summary of our season.” Barca manager Xavi Hernandez told Movistar Plus, as per Sky Sports.
How The Napoli Vs Barcelona Match Unfolded
Wednesday’s Champions League round of 16 tie saw the reigning champions of Italy come up against the reigning Spanish champions. Both sides are struggling this season, with Napoli having their third manager of the season following the sacking of Walter Mazzarri after three months in charge. Francesco Calzona, who replaced Mazzarri a few days ago, was in charge for the first time last night since being appointed the manager.
Barcelona started the game on a high note and didn’t look like a side that were playing their first Champions League knockout match for three years. 16-year-old Lamine Yamal was responsible for causing chaos in Napoli’s defence early on and recorded two shots, the second one forcing Napoli keeper Alex Meret to react.
Napoli coach Francesco Calzona, who is also managing the Slovakia national team, would have seen plenty to work on in the first 45 minutes as the opponents registered seven attempts on goal before the break. His side were toothless and lacked attacking flair throughout the first period. They were frustrated by Barca’s high pressing and missed simple passes, which made it difficult for them to even get out of their own half.
However, they started the second half brightly and had an attempt within 15 seconds of the restart. The header from Matteo Politano went just wide.
Barca then regained control of the match and had their efforts finally rewarded on the hour mark when Robert Lewandowski opened the scoring. The Poland international received a pass from Pedri just inside the box and made space before unleashing a bullet strike that went straight into the bottom corner of the net.
When it seemed Barcelona were going to walk away with victory, Victor Osimhen earned a draw for the hosts in the 75th minute with a fine strike from inside the box after collecting Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa’s pass. Osimhen had been quiet for most of the game but needed just one chance to remind Barca’s defence how dangerous he is in front of goal.
Victor Osimhen scored for Napoli in the 75th minute. Photo/ France 24.
From there, Napoli got into the game and even created several chances. Substitute Giovanni Simeone went closest but was unlucky. Barcelona had a chance late on but Ilkay Gundogan’s superb shot went wide.
“We have a lot to work on still, but I congratulated the players on this performance. We fought, we had a good second half and a great final 15 minutes. I liked the spirit a lot. In the end, we believed we could win this game. We struggled in the opening half hour, then the team reacted.” New Napoli manager Francesco Calzona said after the match, as per UEFA.com.
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