Napoli v Barcelona Live Commentary & Result, 24/02/2022, UEFA Europa League

That's all from Naples today, so thank you for joining us and goodbye!

Next up for Barcelona is a La Liga clash with Athletic Club on Sunday, while Napoli will have to concentrate solely on their Scudetto challenge, having exited both the Coppa Italia and Europa League in quick succession - they travel to Rome to meet fellow European losers Lazio at the weekend.

An explosive first-half performance by Barcelona was enough to knock the stuffing out of a rattled Napoli side today, and the home team never really recovered, as they limp out of Europe again before reaching the last 16 stage. With their midfield purring and an increasingly coherent attacking strategy, the Blaugrana roll on to the next round, where they will be a side to be feared in Europe's second-tier tournament. As well as breezing through against a team with one of Europe's best defensive records, the Catalans also take home a small slice of history - adding Napoli to six other Italian sides they have beaten away from home in continental competition.

90' + 4' FULL-TIME: NAPOLI 2-4 BARCELONA

Gavi

Yellow Card

90' + 3' Rather pointlessly, Gavi is booked for a tug on Politano out on the right touchline.

90' + 1' In the first of three indicated stoppage-time minutes, Dembele curls a shot well over the bar from outside the box.

89' SAVE! Politano is involved again, as the diminutive winger slips a reverse pass through to Petagna on the right side of the box, and the latter slams a shot straight at Ter Stegen at the near post. That's gone behind for a corner. It is far too late, but at least Napoli are going out with a spirited showing from their subs.

M. Politano

Goal

87' NAPOLI PULL ONE BACK! Out of nothing, Politano drifts in off the right flank, cuts onto his left foot and slides a precise low finish past Ter Stegen and into the bottom corner from over 20 yards out. That's surely only a consolation for Napoli, who trail 5-3 on aggregate with time running out.

86' Puig clips a high ball across the box for Luuk De Jong to latch onto, but the striker's shot bounces down into the turf and is off target.

84' Just after Koulibaly had come to the rescue with a good block, Ounas gives the ball away in a dangerous area, forcing Rrahmani to concede a corner. However, it ultimately comes to nothing.

Riqui Puig

Ferran Torres

82' Torres has enjoyed a productive outing and has certainly earned a rest. Puig will be his replacement for the final few minutes.

A. Petagna

L. Insigne

82' On his return from injury, Insigne has made minimal impact, so makes way for Petagna up front.

79' Barcelona are about to break new ground, as only one Spanish side has ever won away at Napoli in European competition before - a 3-1 win for Real Madrid in the Champions League back in March 2017.

77' Araujo commits a clumsy foul on Rui out on the left, gifting Napoli a free-kick. From the set-piece, the hosts earn a corner, which is ultimately cleared away by a cheeky back-flick from Gonzalez.

Nico González

Pedri

75' Pedri is also rested, with Gonzalez coming on in his place.

L. de Jong

P. Aubameyang

75' Having followed his weekend hat-trick with a wonderful goal today, Aubameyang is replaced by Luuk de Jong.

O. Dembélé

Adama Traoré

74' In the first swap of a Barcelona triple change, Traore makes way for Dembele on the wing.

F. Ghoulam

V. Osimhen

74' Osimhen has endured a frustrating game, and now comes off for Ghoulam.

A. Ounas

Fabián Ruiz

74' Ruiz has been ineffective today, and will be replaced by Ounas for the final quarter-hour.

D. Mertens

P. Zieliński

73' Both sides are making some substitutions, with Zielinski first making way for Mertens.

72' Zielinski skews a half-volley well over the bar after Osimhen nods the ball down into his path.

70' CLOSE! Osimhen decides to do it himself, having been starved of service so far today, and the Nigeria striker stretches full length to steer a low shot from the right side of the area just wide of Ter Stegen's right hand post.

68' Drawing ironic cheers from the home fans, Zielinski clips a smart ball over the top of Barcelona's back four, but as Insigne's swiveling volley hits the back of the net, the flag goes up for offside.

66' Barcelona had 21 shots at goal in the first leg last week and are already up to 15 today, which bodes well for the future of their new-look attacking trident.

64' In a great position to plunder his side's fifth goal, Aubameyang overruns the ball when sprinting into the Napoli area, and Meret dives down at his feet to make a save.

Gavi

Sergio Busquets

62' With his job done for the day, Busquets makes way for Gavi in the Barcelona midfield.

Fabián Ruiz

Yellow Card

62' That's another booking for Napoli, as Ruiz is penalised for bringing down Pedri from behind.

Adama Traoré

Assist

59' As part of a lively front three, Traore contributes again - pulling the ball back into Aubameyang's path for the Barcelona new boy to fire home.

P. Aubameyang

Goal

59' AUBA NETS THE FOURTH! Surely that's game over, as Traore pulls the ball back from the right side of the area, De Jong steps carefully over the ball and Aubameyang clips an unstoppable finish past Meret into the top right corner for Barcelona's fourth! That's 4-1 today, and 5-2 on aggregate.

58' With the vistors barely breaking sweat at the back, Petagna is starting his warm-up by the touchline. Surely Napoli will have to make further changes?

P. Zieliński

Yellow Card

56' Determined to halt another Barcelona break, Zielinski slides in from behind on Aubameyang near the halfway line and is shown the game's first yellow card.

54' SHARP SAVE! Meret has to extend his right arm to full length, scrambling back to tip the ball away after a deflected cross from Traore loops up and over the Napoli goalkeeper.

52' Again, Napoli waste a corner and Barcelona break at speed - Traore driving past Rui on the right and pulling the ball back for Pedri to thump it wildly over the bar.

51' Zielinski and Insigne exchange passes in a promising Napoli move, but Pedri chases back to block the former's cutback into the box and the hosts have a corner.

49' Though up against the odds today, Napoli have progressed from all eight of their European knockout ties when drawing the first leg away from home - most recently in the last 32 of the Europa League back in 2014, against Swansea City.

47' Osimhen can't get a high ball under control in the area, and Pique swoops to coolly take the ball off his toes, shepherding it to safety.

M. Politano

D. Demme

46' Spalletti has responded to his side's first-half display by hauling off Demme and bringing on a winger, Politano.

46' We are back under way in Naples, and the second half has a lot to live up to!

During the first half, Napoli's passing accuracy stood at just under 77 per cent - more than 12 per cent adrift of Barcelona's. Given his side has the highest passing accuracy in the opposition half throughout Serie A this season (84 per cent), Spalletti will expect better after the break - particularly as the Partenopei have managed just two shots so far; being gifted their goal by a rush of blood to the head by Ter Stegen.

Aided by an awful performance by their hosts, Barcelona have steamed through the first half with a series of attacks and counter-attacks that have caused the Napoli defence to melt. For a team with the best defensive record in Serie A, the Azzurri are putting in an uncharacteristically sloppy shift today; almost as if the occasion is too big for them to handle. That has played into the hands of Xavi's side, who have scored three times from four shots on target and have one foot in the last 16 with 45 minutes to play.

45' + 2' HALF-TIME: NAPOLI 1-3 BARCELONA

Piqué

Goal

45' PIQUE NETS A THIRD! From the corner, Napoli fail to get the ball adequately clear and Alba's deflected cross from the byline is controlled and turned home by Pique on the left side of the area. What a 45 minutes from the visitors; it's 3-1 to Barcelona heading towards the break!

43' The Napoli faithful are becoming restless, with whistles greeting a misplaced Elmas pass. Once again, Barcelona then break, and Traore earns a corner by driving the ball off Rui and behind.

40' Araujo covers well inside the box, as a searching ball from the right by Di Lorenzo almost picks out the on-rushing Osimhen in the centre. Despite taking a battering, Napoli are not out of this yet.

38' Though they had been almost unbreachable at the Maradona over the past 18 months, Napoli have posted a tally of just two wins from their last six matches on home soil before today's game and are in serious danger of losing another.

36' After Koulibaly nearly breaks through the Barcelona defence with a forward surge, play immediately switches to the other end, and Traore drives into the hosts' box. Demme does well to get back and make an important intervention.

34' Torres is at it again, as the former Manchester City forward pops up on the left side of the area and drags a low shot too close to a grateful Meret in the Napoli goal.

32' Napoli break quickly on then counter following a crucial Koulibaly challenge on the edge of his own box, but Insigne carries the ball too far without releasing it and then fires wide with a scuffed shot from outside the box.

30' Torres is running riot today, this time drifting in off his left-wing station and cracking a 25-yard attempt at goal. However, his shot is badly sliced and flies harmlessly over Meret's crossbar.

28' JUST WIDE! This is some breathless stuff from Barcelona, who have set about this match like a team possessed. Now, Aubameyang puts a header from the right side of the six-yard box narrowly wide of the upright following a corner.

27' CLOSE! Again, De Jong is involved deep inside the Napoli defensive third, and his pass picks out Torres. His shot is deflected just wide by Rui, who closes down well with his teammates largely absent without leave!

25' Barcelona are pressing forward again, as if stung by conceding such a needless goal. First, Aubameyang is caught narrowly offside, then the Gabon striker curls an attempt just over from the left corner of the box.

L. Insigne

Penalty Goal

23' NAPOLI BACK IN IT! From the spot, Insigne is ice cool and slots the ball past Ter Stegen and into the bottom corner of the net. Napoli 1-2 Barcelona - what a start to this game!

21' Very quickly, it is decided that Osimhen was fouled, and Napoli have a great chance to pull one back - penalty to the Partenopei!

20' Racing on to a ball towards the Barcelona area, Osimhen is apparently clipped by Ter Stegen on the left side of the box and a penalty is awarded. The VAR will now assess whether the referee's call was right.

18' Aubameyang fires a speculative shot from outside the box high over the crossbar following a headed pass from De Jong, who is clearly full of confidence since his goal.

17' CLOSE! Napoli are falling apart here - to the audible discontent of their fans - as Dest strides forward from full-back and thumps a low shot just wide of Meret's right-hand post.

15' With Napoli trying to mount a response to their early collapse, Rrahmani attempts a throughball into the area, but Osimhen is caught offside.

Ferran Torres

Assist

13' Torres' backheel provided the lay-off and De Jong did the rest in emphatic fashion.

F. de Jong

Goal

13' DE JONG DOUBLES THE LEAD! More loose play from Napoli - this time in midfield - sees the ball break to Torres in a central position, and the Barcelona forward opts for an unorthodox backheel to De Jong 30 yards out from goal. The Dutchman takes a couple of touches and then unfurls a beautiful curling shot into the top-right corner of the net - Meret had no chance! Barcelona 2-0 Napoli - and 3-1 to the Blaugrana on aggregate!

11' As Napoli seek an equaliser, Zielinski is caught just offside when Koulibaly tries to slip the ball through to him on the edge of the area.

Jordi Alba

Goal

8' BARCELONA LEAD! A rapid break from their own area into Napoli's ends with Barcelona winger Traore feeding the ball through to Alba, unmarked on the right side of the area, and the flying full-back keeps cool to steer past Meret for the game's opening goal. The visitors are now 2-1 ahead on aggregate!

Adama Traoré

Assist

8' Ensuring Barcelona made the most of a clinical counter-attack, Traore calmly picked out Alba in the centre to score the opener.

7' Napoli have the first corner, from which Insigne decides against curling in an outswinging cross and instead makes a mess of a low ball into the middle. Barcelona have the chance to break.

6' As Ruiz looks to streak through a gap in the Barcelona midfield, Torres decides to haul him back by the shirt and is lucky to escape an early booking, as the referee instead opts for a stern word of warning.

4' Ter Stegen is called upon for the first time, as a wayward low cross from Di Lorenzo is comfortably fielded inside the goalkeeper's six-yard box.

2' It has been a relatively conservative start from both teams, and with the tie being so finely balanced, that comes as no real surprise.

1' We are under way at Stadio Maradona!

The players are now filing out onto the pitch in Naples, with kick-off just moments away!

Barcelona stalwart Pique served a domestic suspension at the weekend, but is back to displace Garcia at the heart of the visitors' defence and partners Araujo. Clement Lenglet, Memphis Depay, Samuel Umtiti, Ansu Fati and Sergi Roberto are among a long list of absentees for Xavi Hernandez's side, which today includes captain Busquets instead of Gonzalez in midfield and Dest rather than Mingueza at right-back in two further changes from the first-leg lineup.

Though Napoli still have Hirving Lozano, Stanislav Lobotka and Andre Zambo Anguissa sidelined through injury, boith Politano and captain Insigne returned to training this week - the former is on the bench, while the latter starts in his customary spot on the left of the hosts' front three. Di Lorenzo has also recovered from a head injury sustained against Cagliari to take his place at right-back, while Europa League regular Meret returns in goal.

SUBS: Neto, Arnau Tenas, Luuk de Jong, Eric Garcia, Pablo Gaviria, Riqui Puig, Martin Braithwaite, Oscar Mingueza, Ousmane Dembele, Nicolas Gonzalez.

BARCELONA (4-3-3): Marc-Andre ter Stegen; Sergino Dest, Ronald Araujo, Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba; Pedri, Sergio Busquets, Frenkie de Jong; Adama Traore, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ferran Torres.

SUBS: David Ospina, Matteo Politano, Adam Ounas, Hubert Dawid Idasiak, Faouzi Ghoulam, Juan Jesus, Dries Mertens, Andrea Petagna, Alessandro Zanoli.

NAPOLI (4-2-3-1): Alex Meret; Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Amir Rrahmani, Kalidou Koulibaly, Mario Rui; Diego Demme, Fabian Ruiz; Eljif Elmas, Piotr Zielinski, Lorenzo Insigne; Victor Osimhen.

Following their unusually early exit from the Champions League, Barcelona's inaugural Europa League tie was heading for defeat when Piotr Zielinski fired in the opening goal last week. However, Ferran Torres then converted a penalty to level proceedings at the tie's midway point. The Blaugrana then went on to win 4-1 at Mestalla on Sunday, as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's hat-trick and a Frenkie de Jong strike saw off Valencia - bringing up their fifth game without defeat and aiding them in the race for a top-four La Liga finish.

Napoli welcome their Catalan counterparts to Campania with the clubs' Europa League tie delicately poised following a 1-1 first-leg draw at Camp Nou. The teams reconvene at Stadio Maradona - named after the legendary figure who once graced both clubs - for the return leg of their play-off round contest, with Luciano Spalletti's side having just played out their third successive 1-1 draw. Following a late comeback at Cagliari, the Scudetto contenders are on a six-game unbeaten run across all competitions, but have faltered at home of late.

Hello and welcome to live coverage of today's Europa League play-off second leg between Napoli and Barcelona at Stadio Maradona!

Napoli v Barcelona Live Commentary, 24/02/2022

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