February 22, (THEWILL) – In a dramatic finish at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, Victor Osimhen scored as Italian champions, SSC Napoli, snatched a 1-1 draw against Barcelona in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 clash on Wednesday night.
The result leaves the tie very much in the balance ahead of the return fixture at Camp Nou in three weeks’ time. Napoli had seemed down and out after a dominant performance from the visitors, but a brilliant equaliser from Osimhen with just 15 minutes remaining earned the Partenopei a deserved share of the spoils.
Despite Barcelona’s superiority for much of the match, Napoli manager, Francesco Calzona, will be satisfied his side remain well placed to progress to the quarter-finals. Xavi Hernandez’ Barcelona on the other hand will be left ruing their failure to make the most of their control and put the tie to bed.
It was a meeting of the reigning Italian and Spanish champions in Naples, with the home side making a managerial change just this week after sacking Walter Mazzarri. His replacement Calzona endured a rocky start as Barcelona imposed themselves early on. Polish striker Robert Lewandowski was denied by goalkeeper Alex Meret before finally opening the scoring on the hour mark after being picked out by Pedri.
Napoli had failed to register a single shot in the first half and Lewandowski’s goal looked to have secured a vital away win for Barcelona. However, in the 75th minute, Osimhen latched onto a ball in the box, brilliantly turned and rifled his shot into the bottom corner to stun the visitors.
In the end, both sides had to settle for a draw that maintains intrigue ahead of the second leg next month in Barcelona, where the Spanish giants will still feel confident of progressing. For Napoli and Calzona however, this fighting draw represents a major boost and keeps their hopes of a first Champions League quarter-final appearance since 2017 firmly alive.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
