MESSI’S WONDER GOAL KNOCKS NAPOLI OUT OF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
NEW 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.
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.