Madrid, March 13 (IANS) FC Barcelona won a thrilling Champions League tie 3-1 at home to Napoli to assure their place in the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
Two goals in first half put Barca on their way, but Napoli fought back and it wasn’t until the 83rd minute that Robert Lewandowski assured their qualification.
The first 45 minutes saw some breathless football as the game swung from end to end, with goals and missed chances at both ends, reports Xinhua.
Barca coach Xavi Hernandez preferred 17-year-old Pau Cubarsi to Inigo Martinez alongside Ronald Araujo in central defense, with Fermin Lopez given the nod alongside Andreas Christensen and Ilkay Gundogan in midfield.
Fermin had the first chance of the match, lifting the ball over the bar under pressure after breaking the Napoli offside trap.
He made no mistake after 15 minutes after Raphinha pulled the ball back, Lewandowski dummied and Fermin side-footed home from around 12 meters.
It was 2-0 a couple of minutes later when Lamine Yamal launched a counter-attack deep in his own half, before picking out Raphinha. The winger cut inside and although his powerful shot bounced back off the post, Joao Cancelo followed up to drill the ball into the net.
Christensen was booked for clattering late into Stanislav Lobotka’s ankle, before Napoli drew a goal back just before the half hour with Amir Rrahmani netting a smart left-foot finish.
Napoli took a step forward in the second half, looking to pressure Barca high up the field and they were unlucky not to get a penalty when Cubarsi caught Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s heel in the area, but the referee was content to give Napoli a corner.
Raphinha had a shot saved after a rare Barca attack, while at the other end Cubarsi and Araujo kept calm to clear a series of dangerous crosses.
Xavi saw the need for greater control and Oriol Romeu and Sergi Roberto replaced Fermin and Christensen.
Gundogan produced a pass for Sergi Roberto to leave Lewandowski with a tap-in in the 83rd minute to assure Barca will be in the quarterfinal draw.
–IANS
bc/
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by TodayIndia.news and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of TodayIndia.news We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, TodayIndia.news takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.