Nigerian International striker Victor Osimhen and Napoli’s UEFA Champions League dream is over! Despite a valiant effort, they fell to Barcelona on aggregate (4-2) after a thrilling second leg.
The electric atmosphere at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys was electric, with a crowd of 50,301 cheering Barcelona on to their first Champions League quarterfinal appearance since 2020.
This match wasn’t just about the final score, however. Barcelona made history by fielding not one, but two players aged 17 or under in a knockout stage game:
- Lamine Yamal (16 years, 243 days)
- Pau Cubarsí (17 years, 50 days)
Barcelona’s attack clicked early, with a 20-year-old sensation leading the charge. Fermín López opened the scoring in the 15th minute, followed by a quickfire second from João Cancelo just two minutes later. The assist for the second goal came from the impressive Raphinha, whose deflected shot found Cancelo for the tap-in.
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Despite going down early, Napoli fought back with a goal from Amir Rrahmani on the half-hour mark. The Serie A side pushed for an equalizer, but Marc-André ter Stegen stood tall in goal for Barcelona.
The second half was a tense affair, with both teams creating chances. Youngster Lamine Yamal nearly etched his name in history with a potential record-breaking goal, but his effort went just wide. Substitute Sergi Roberto eventually sealed the win for Barcelona with a late assist to Robert Lewandowski.
This victory marks Barcelona’s return to the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 2020. The Blaugrana showed a strong performance, with both young talents and experienced veterans contributing to their success. Napoli can be proud of their effort, but ultimately Barcelona proved too strong on the night.
Cubarsí, in a Player of the Match performance, completely shut down Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen, limiting his impact on the game.
Commiserations to Napoli and Osimhen, but a huge congratulations to Barcelona and their history-making youngsters!
