La Liga: Battle of Barcelona lives up to expectations as Blaugranas held by city rivals Espanyol
FootballAubameyang, Pique on the Score Sheet As Barcelona Defeat Napoli to Cruise to Europa League Round of 16
- Napoli vs Barcelona saw the Catalan giants put up a masterclass to defeat the Italian side at the Diego Amando Maradona Stadium
- Jordi Alba, De Jong, Pique and Aubameyang all found the back of the net as Barcelona cruise to the Round of 16 of the competition
- The home side grabbed their only goal of the game after Lorenzo Insigne scored from the penalty spot in the first half
Barcelona are through to the Round of 16 of this season's Europa League following a 4-2 win over Napoli to edge the Italian side 5-3 on aggregates.
After the first leg ended 1-1, Barcelona put up a masterful show in Naples to defeat the home side right inside the Diego Amando Maradona Stadium.
Jordi Alba, De Jong, Pique and Aubameyang all found the back of the net for Barcelona while Napoli's only goal came from Lorenzo Insigne who converted from the spot in the first half.
But Xavi's men made their intentions clear as early as the 8th minute when Jordi Alba conceded a corner and ended up scoring at the other end!
A quick breakaway led by Aubameyang before an assist from Traore saw Alba through on goal, who calmly slotted the ball past Meret.
Three minutes later, De Jong carried the ball forward before curling a long-range beauty into the far corner, leaving Meret rooted to the spot to make it 2-0 to the visitors.
In the 23rd minute, Insigne scored a penalty to reduce the deficit! Ter Stegen had come rushing off his line to close down Osimhen but clipped the Nigerian forward and the Italian made no mistake from the spot.
And two minutes before the end of the first half, following a scramble in the area after a corner, Pique swivelled and struck into the corner via the post with his left foot. A crucial goal at an ideal time for the Catalans to make it 3-1 at halftime.
Orlando Pirates vs Golden Arrows: Buccaneers miss the chance to close huge gap with Mamelodi Sundowns
FootballBarcelona sealed the win in the 58th minute when Adama Traore played the ball to Aubameyang in the box who shot first-time into the top corner. A scorcher from the Gabonese striker.
And minutes before the end of the game, Napoli got a goal back through Politano, who scored with his left foot into the near corner. It ended; Napoli 2-4 Barcelona
Aubameyang reveals how he convinced Dembele
Sports Brief earlier reported that Barcelona forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has revealed that he had to convince teammate Ousmane Dembélé to stay at Barcelona.
Dembélé was reportedly on the verge of leaving Barcelona after he was asked to take a pay cut due to Barcelona's financial troubles.
However, Aubamayeng who played with Dembélé as Borussia Dortmund persuaded the Frenchman to stay.