Messi spectacular as Barcelona sink Napoli and book their passage onto the Champions League quarter-finals
Messi was once more sensational for Barcelona as they beat
Napoli 3-1 in the second leg of the Champions League last 16 (4-2 on aggregate). Barcelona were
already leading in the 10th minute at Camp Nou thanks to Clement Lenglet's
header from an Ivan Rakitic corner. Messi then doubled the lead for Barcelona
in style in the 23rd minute as he wriggled his way past three defenders, before
bending a shot between a further two Napoli players, and into the far side of
David Ospina's net. Messi scored another goal 7 minutes later, but it was ruled
out by VAR.
Luis Suarez scored Barcelona's third goal of the night - a
penalty awarded after Kalidou Koulibaly felled Messi. This happened to be
Suarez's 25th Champions League goal. Napoli scored their lone goal of the game
at the end of the first half, through Lorenzo Insigne. Messi's performance for
Barcelona earned him the Man of the Match (MOTM) award.
Barcelona are set to play Bayern Munich in the Champions
League quarter-finals on August 14. "This was the first forward step
we wanted and now it is to be hoped we play the matches in front of us with the
same attitude which we demonstrated here," Barcelona manager Quique Setien
said. "The team played well and we deserved this. All the rivals who
are left are strong and there are only complicated matches left. It will be
tough for us but for Bayern too. They're a great side but so are we."
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