Osimhen’s Strike Secures Draw For Napoli Against Barcelona
Super Eagles of Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen scored for Napoli to help the Italian side secure a 1-1 draw against Barcelona in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 clash, at the at Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, Italy.
The hosts started with African Footballer of the Year Osimhen in attack, with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Matteo Politano supporting on the flanks. For Barcelona, Robert Lewandowski featured up-front while Pedri and Lamine Yamal were on the wings.
Barcelona dominated the first half against a Napoli side, who barely managed to get out of their own half. The Italian side were led by new coach Francesco Calzona, who was eager to make a mark in Europe. However, the scores remained 0-0 by halftime.
In the second half Barcelona continued to dominate as Poland forward Lewandowski opened the scoring in the 60th minute to silence the fans at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
Lewandowski received a pass from Pedri just inside the box and made space to unleash a bullet strike into the bottom corner of the net.
The goal spurred Napoli on and 15 minutes later the home side levelled through Nigerian sensation Osimhen after a brilliant piece of play.
Osimhen equalised with a fine strike from inside the box after he beat his marker and fired beyond the reach of Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre Stegen.
Both sides created a few more chances in a bid to claim victory, but could not find the net as the match finished 1-1 in Italy.
Osimhen’s equaliser salvaged a valuable draw for Napoli, who will now head to Barcelona in the second leg for a chance to progress to the next stage of the UEFA Champions League.
All to play for in Barcelona! 👊#UCL pic.twitter.com/u6Vo5UUiKE
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) February 21, 2024
“We have a lot to work on still, but I congratulated the players on this performance. We fought, we had a good second half and a great final 15 minutes,” Napoli coach Calzona said.
“I liked the spirit a lot. In the end, we believed we could win this game. We struggled in the opening half hour, then the team reacted. I am very happy with the substitutes.”
