Lewandowski and Osimhen cancel eachother as Camp Nou showdown awaits
Napoli 1 Barcelona 1
It was hyped as a matchup between high-scoring strikers Robert Lewandowski and Victor Osimhen and both found the net in a 1-1 draw between Barcelona and Napoli in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 on Wednesday.
Lewandowski shot through the legs of Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo and inside the near post on the hour mark for his 93rd goal in the top club competition.
Osimhen replied 15 minutes later with a shot from near the penalty spot after leaving his marker on the ground for his sixth goal in Napoli’s last six home matches in the Champions League.
“We conceded practically nothing besides that goal,” Barcelona manager Xavi said. “I really liked the way team played.”
The second leg is scheduled for March 12 in Spain.
Napoli had struggled until Osimhen’s goal to construct much of anything in the debut of new coach Francesco Calzona, who was hired only 48 hours before kickoff by the struggling Serie A champion.
“It was a good performance against a strong team with great players,” Di Lorenzo said. “We were solid. It’s a good starting point.
“We had practically 1 and a half training sessions (with Calzona),” Di Lorenzo added. “This was a small step forward.”
Osimhen was playing his first match for Napoli since returning from the African Cup of Nations, where he helped Nigeria reach the final.
“Victor is a great champion, a great professional, and he can give us a hand,” Di Lorenzo said.
Barcelona are back in the knockout rounds after two consecutive group-stage eliminations. They still had Lionel Messi in their ranks the last time they made it to the round of 16.
Barcelona have been eliminated from the Copa del Rey, is eight points behind leader Real Madrid in the Spanish league
Read on irishexaminer.com
