For labouring Barca, a splash of Messi magic
Barcelona star dazzles in victory over Napoli; Munich giants next up in Friday’s mouth-watering Champions League quarter-final
nNEW DELHI: Lionel Messi scored arguably the goal of the season, had another ruled out by VAR and then won a penalty that Luis Suarez converted as Barcelona beat Napoli 3-1 in their Champions League Round of 16 second leg clash on Saturday to move into the quarter-finals for the 13th straight season.
Barca won 4-2 on aggregate, having drawn 1-1 in the first leg at Naples, and will face favourites Bayern Munich in the last eight. The CL ‘final eight’ will be played in Lisbon from Aug 12 to 23.
The victory, with Messi in sublime touch, showed much was right with Barcelona after losing the La Liga race to Real Madrid and the Copa de Rey (Spanish Cup) elimination amid rumours of Messi’s differences with coach Quique Setien.
It was Messi’s incredible solo goal, Barca’s second of the night, which was the highlight of the game at Camp Nou. Less than a quarter of an hour after Clement Lenglet’s 10th minute opener for the hosts, Messi cut in from the right and snuck into the box through a small pocket of space between two Napoli defenders.
The Argentine went down on a challenge from the second defender, but sprang to his feet to trap the loose ball. At that moment, his view of the goal seemed to be blocked by a third defender, but Messi swaying to his right, and almost falling from the movement, released a shot that curled past the man in front of him to beat the goalkeeper at the far post.
From then on, Barca rarely seemed like losing their lead, although Napoli had their moments throughout the game. Messi had a goal ruled out for handball later in the first half, but won a penalty from which Suarez made it 3-0. Lorenzo Insigne’s penalty just before half-time was only a consolation for Gennaro Gattuso’s side as no more goals were scored.
The win orchestrated by Barca’s talisman, who now has 31 goals and 27 assists across competitions this season. Having lost the league title to Real Madrid and knocked out of the Copa del Rey, Barca’s only hope of a trophy this season is the Champions League, in which they have flattered to deceive since 2015.
An unimpressive run since La Liga resumed in June means the Catalans are not seen among favourites for the European title. Barcelona’s showing in the tournament could also go a long way in deciding the fate of coach
Quique Setien, who is rumoured to have a strained relationship with Messi.
THE BAYERN TEST
The under-fire Setien, who took over in January after Ernesto Valverde was sacked, could be out if Barca’s European ambitions are not met this month. In recent weeks, Setien has put up a brave face. Despite starting underdogs against Bayern, Setien said it won’t be easy for the German champions, who beat Chelsea 4-1 in the second leg at home for a 7-1 aggregate.
“It will be tough for us because they’ve had an excellent season and dominated their tie. It will be difficult for us but also for them. They are an excellent team, so are we,” Setien said.
Suarez echoed his views. “In a one-off game anyone has a chance, so it’s perfectly balanced, 50/50. Bayern are a great team, one of the candidates to win the competition, but it’s 11 versus 11 over 90 minutes.”
Barca do have a squad that is more than capable of knocking out the in-form Bayern. But winning the title is easier said than done.
If Barcelona do progress past the quarter-finals, they could be up against Manchester City, coached by their former boss Pep
Guardiola and high on confidence after eliminating Real Madrid.
ROOM FOR SURPRISES
The one-legged knockout format in neutral Portugal, forced by the pandemic, creates more scope for surprises and Barca will fancy their chances. Bayern, as they showed in their thrashing of Chelsea on Saturday, will be tough rivals.
With an inspired Robert Lewandowski scoring a brace to take his season’s tally to 53 goals across competitions, Bayern demolished Chelsea.
Only three games away from the title, Bayern are also inspired by the chance to complete a treble, having won the Bundesliga and the German Cup.
“The anticipation is enormous. Barcelona has a good team with very good players, but if you