Napoli win one of best moments as Barca coach: Xavi

Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez said beating Napoli to reach the Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday was one of his finest moments in his post. The Spanish champions won 3-1 at the Olympic Stadium to seal a 4-2 aggregate win against last year’s Serie A winners, returning to the last eight for the first time since 2020.
“There has been a lot of unfair criticism, (that we were) the joke of the Champions League, we had to play with that pressure,” Xavi told a news conference.
“We had to be better than Napoli and we were, it’s a more than deserved qualification, it’s one of my best moments as Barcelona coach.”
The coach said he would not change his mind about leaving at the end of the season, a decision he took in January. Since then the team have gone nine matches unbeaten.
Centre-back Pau Cubarsi, 17, was given the player of the match award and Xavi lavished praise on the young defender, key in recent weeks.
“He’s a very rational kid, he’s got a lot of brains, he’s patient, he’s very humble, he wants to improve,” said Xavi. “His sudden emergence is wonderful for Barcelona and Spanish football – we’re looking at a top-level defender for years to come.”
Like Xavi, Cubarsi said this was a match to remember. “This has been one of the best days of my life,” Cubarsi told Movistar.
“The team deserves this player of the match trophy, I’m so happy, but we’re a group.”
Barcelona became the first team in the competition’s history to start two players 17 or under in a knock-out stage game. Xavi demanded the fans turn their temporary Olympic Stadium home on the city’s Montjuic hill into a pressure cooker, and they duly obliged. Over 50,000 spectators marked the club’s largest attendance this season.
Francesco Calzona’s Napoli wilted as the Spanish champions came out of the blocks flying. Electric 16-year-old winger Yamal made strong inroads down the right before the bright Lopez opened the scoring after 15 minutes.
Cancelo fed Raphinha who cut the ball back into the area for Lopez, who tucked home.
While he may lack the metronomic precision of Pedri, the midfielder provides thrust and an insatiable desire to shoot.
Two minutes later and the Catalans doubled their lead against the shellshocked visitors, with Yamal starting the move by breaking loose in his own half on the counter-attack.
The winger played in Raphinha and although the Brazilian hit the post Cancelo was running in to roll home the rebound.
Napoli battled their way back in when Matteo Politano slipped in down the right, with Ronald Araujo playing him onside. The Italy winger crossed for Rrahmani who slotted home cleanly to pull Napoli back into the tie.
Napoli were almost level moments later but Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen made a superb save, tipping over Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s header.
The Italians started the second half strongly, with Barcelona forced back into their own half, aimlessly clearing the ball.
Xavi took action by bringing on Sergi Roberto and Oriol Romeu for Lopez and Andreas Christensen, aiming to freshen up the midfield and give his team new impetus.