triker Robert Lewandowski scored the decisive goal to help Barca beat Napoli 3-1 in the second leg of the 1/8 round of the Champions League, thereby entering the quarterfinals with a total score of 4-2.

This is the first time Barca has entered the quarterfinals of the Champions League since they lost 2-8 to Bayern in the last eight in 2020. In the last two seasons, with Xavi on the bench, Barca both stopped from the round of 2020. Champions League table.

In the 2021-2022 season, Barca ranked third in the group stage and had to drop to the Europa League – where they lost to Eintracht Frankfurt with a total score of 3-4 in the quarterfinals. A similar scenario took place last season, when Barca continued to finish third in the group stage, then lost 3-4 to Man Utd in the Europa League play-offs.

The Champions League is also the last chance for Xavi to bid farewell to Barca with the title this season. In domestic arenas, the Catalan club lost the Spanish Super Cup final, was eliminated from the King’s Cup and is currently eight points behind Real in La Liga.

At the Olympic home field on March 12, Barca had difficulty in terms of strength without Pedri, Alejandro Balde, Ferran Torres, Frenkie De Jong, and Gavig. Therefore, Xavi had to patch things up, promoting Andreas Christensen to the defensive midfield role, putting young player Pau Cubarsi in the center-back partnership with Ronald Araujo. Barca is the first team to use two U17 players in a Champions League knockout match, with Lamine Yamal (16 years and 243 days) and Cubarsí (17 years and 50 days).

However, Barca still got off to a strong start when Fermin Lopez had two goals in the first 13 minutes. Only on the third shot did the 20-year-old Spanish midfielder succeed. In the 15th minute, Raphinha escaped down the left wing and then crossed for Lopez to make a one-touch kick to the near corner, leaving Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret rooted to the spot.

Immediately after the attack, Barca doubled the gap. Raphinha continued to make his mark with the ball into the middle and then hit the post. The ball bounced back into the right range for Joao Cancelo to kick into the empty goal, scoring his second goal in the Champions League this season.