With a 4-2 victory over Napoli at the Diego Armando Stadium, Barcelona advanced to the Europa League quarterfinals. The visitors scored three goals in the first half to take control of the game, and they finished the job in style after the break.
Barcelona dominated the opening half, taking the lead in the tie after just eight minutes. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang pounced on a terrible Napoli corner and spearheaded a fast burst.
The attacker then found Adama Traore, who dashed past the Napoli defenders before passing to Jordi Alba, who finished brilliantly. Five minutes later, another goal was scored, this one was sweeter. After rushing off his line and clashing clumsily with Victor Osimhen, Marc-Andre ter Stegen conceded a penalty. From the start, Lorenzo Insigne made no mistakes.
Frenkie de Jong was the one who found the back of the goal this time. The Dutch midfielder curled in a stunning goal from just outside the penalty area to put the visitors in complete control of the game. However, Barca didn’t stop there and added a third goal through Gerard Pique shortly before halftime. Napoli botched a corner defense, allowing the ball to bounce back into the area and to Pique, who swept the ball home.
The second half was a little calmer, but Barca extended their lead with another excellent goal just before the hour mark. Adama Traore crossed from the right, Frenkie de Jong stepped over the ball, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang shot into the top corner. After his team scored the fourth goal against Napoli, Xavi hastily replaced captain Sergio Busquets. Gavi, Nico, Ousmane Dembele, and Luuk de Jong were all brought on for the final 30 minutes.
Late on, Politano put the ball in the back of the net after Nico was caught in possession inside his penalty area, but it was merely a consolation for the hosts on what had been a fantastic night for Xavi and his team.
