After losing Messi, Barca's record plummeted, missing the Champions League knockout round for the first time in nearly a decade, which can also reflect the importance of Messi's world-class stars. However, in the Europa League, Barça became a favorite to win the title, and after the second time in the knockout round, Barca once again ushered in the challenge of Serie A giants Napoli. The first leg was drawn 1-1 between the two teams, and the suspense was left for the 90-minute duel.
As soon as the game started, Barca took the pace very fast. In the 7th minute, Barca had a fantastic start, Traoré broke the ball in midfield, all the way to the front, using the strong body as cover, neither defender was able to break the ball from his feet, and then he selflessly distributed it to Alba on the right side of the high-speed set, who easily burst into the box and pushed the far corner before the goalkeeper attacked, and the score reached 1-0. Five minutes later, Barca scored again, this time with a hanging shot from outside the penalty area that bypassed the goalkeeper's ten-finger mark to rewrite the score to 2-0.
However, in the 22nd minute, barca's defense collectively wandered, the Napoli divine front took the opportunity to enter the box, Ter Stegen accidentally stumbled in the attack, the referee decisively awarded a penalty, Insigne hit the main penalty, the score came to 1-2. After conceding the goal, Barca continued to play steadily, and after constant attempts, finally ushered in the harvest in the 44th minute. Barca opened a corner kick on the right, and after the first wave of attack was defused, Alba actively put on a cross, and Pique in the penalty area found a good opportunity, he shot low with his left foot, the ball went straight to the bottom right corner, and the score was rewritten to 3-1.
After the adjustment of the midfield, the two teams had no intention of closing. In the 58th minute, Barca scored another goal. This time it was Traore's breakthrough on the right, he cut inside and then chose to cross Aubameyang on the left, who adjusted and easily pushed the goal to make the score 4-1, which also sealed the victory. Then in the 86th minute, Napoli did not give up, they broke The ball in the back, Politano used a powerful left-footed shot to finally freeze the score at 4-2, Barca won 5-3 on aggregate in two legs to advance to the round of 16.
This game can be described as a big opening and closing, and it has provided a very wonderful confrontation for the fans. Barca firmly controlled the scene in the whole game, barca had 58% of the possession and Napoli only 42%, and the gap between the two sides was not small. In terms of shots on goal, Barca had 17 on goal, while Napoli had just seven. It can be said that Barca have not played such a big victory for a long time, and after the addition of Traore and Aubameyang, Barca's weak forward line has been fully upgraded, and the manager Xavi has also been able to strategize.
What is even more gratifying is that this game is worth 80 million Dutch international Franki de Jong, after several seasons of running-in, finally has some big shine. After Messi left, he became the core of the attack in the midfield, he can pass and shoot, the technique under the feet is delicate, coupled with the careful tuning of the midfield master Xavi, De Jong is cashing in on his talent. Now that Barça have become the biggest contenders for the title in the Europa League, at the league level, Barça is only 3 points away from the Champions League zone, and the Red and Blues are proving to Messi that the club can still compete for the title and break into the Champions League without him.