Barcelona 3-1 Napoli (agg 4-2): Robert Lewandowski’s late strike erupts the home crowd as Xavi’s side book their place in Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in FOUR years

The celebration that greeted the third goal said it all: an immense relief. Barcelona reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League for the first time in four years thanks to a 3-1 home second leg victory over Napoli, allowing them to finish 4-all on aggregate. 2.

When substitute Sergio Roberto played one-two with Ilkay Gundogan inside the penalty area and then squared up for Robert Lewandowski to score, it seemed like the entire Barça bench was on the field to harass the goalscorer. Héctor Fort had been warming up on the sidelines, he was in the center of the action.

Iñigo Martínez was sitting on the bench with Marc Guiu but both had run to the center of the group to join the party. Xavi hugged his coaching staff in the technical area. It wasn’t just about Barcelona, ​​but about keeping their season alive and earning around €10 million in the process, funds that were still desperately needed to keep the wolf of their excessive wage spending at bay.

It had been a nervy start to the match, with Marc Andre Ter Stegen saving Victor Osimhen after just four minutes when he ran in behind the home team’s defence.

Soon the Barça teenagers began to take control. Pau Cubarsi and Lamine Yamal have not been together for more than 33 years but both are now leaders of Xavi’s team.

A strong tackle by Cubarsi on Osimhen cut off the danger at one end and then he made a sublime pass over the Napoli defense to pass to Fermín López at the other. The starting midfielder, in the absence of the injured Frenkie de Jong and Pedri, sent his shot over the top.

And when Barcelona took the lead in the 15th minute, Cubarsi started the play with a forward pass to Joao Cancelo. He played in Raphinha whose cross was buried by Fermín from the penalty spot. He had walked away to celebrate almost before the ball reached the back of the net.

Two minutes later it was two o’clock and this time it was Yamal who did it. There was a big hole in the middle of the field and Yamal, who had beaten Stanislav Lobotka to a loose ball, drove into it before releasing Raphinha.

When his shot went off the post, Cancelo buried the rebound. This time the Barcelona bench exploded with joy, it was an opening too good to be true after so many shocking starts to the game this season.

After half an hour, Napoli closed the gap. In a quick throw-in from the right Mateo Politano ran behind Cancelo and when he crossed Amir Rrahmani scored the first goal that Barça conceded since Napoli scored against them in the first leg. Politano almost equalized with a header moments later, but Ter Stegen deflected his shot over the crossbar.

Barca looked leggy before the break and the experienced Ilkay Gundogan was furious with Raphinha for not keeping the ball in the corner and easing the pressure on the shaky defence.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia had the first chance of the second half with a curling shot that skimmed Ter Stegen’s left post. Barcelona defended deep and under pressure. On the hour mark, a nervous Xavi refreshed his midfield with Oriol Romeu and Serio Roberto for the cautioned Fermín and Andreas Christensen.

Lamine was still a threat and Mathías Olivera was booked for bringing him down. The free kick was cleared, but from the subsequent attack it looked like Yamal had become the youngest goalscorer in Champions League history, but he raised the flag for offside to disallow his goal from close range. . He came close again with a shot that went wide.

Barcelona appeared to have weathered the Napoli storm at the start of the second half, but Jesper Lindstrom headed wide from a Kvaratskhelia cross. He was completely alone but off target. The threat was still there.

And then came the third goal that left most of the 50,000 spectators inside the Olympic Stadium breathing a communal sigh of relief. Barcelona was once again among the top eight in Europe.