Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez believes that a victory would have been the most just outcome following a 1-1 draw against Napoli in the Champions League.
Expressing disappointment with the result, Xavi conveyed to Amazon Prime Video Italia, “We are a little sad at the result, we should’ve won the game.” He emphasized Napoli’s limited attacking threat, highlighting that they only managed one opportunity.
Xavi expressed, “Napoli barely managed anything in attack, we allowed them only one chance. These are the matches we ought to be winning, I think the fairest result would’ve been our victory.”
The match saw Robert Lewandowski score first at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona during a dominant opening 30 minutes for Barcelona, with Alex Meret making crucial saves against Lewandowski, Ilkay Gundogan, and Lamine Yamal. However, Victor Osimhen capitalized on Napoli’s sole shot on target, assisted by Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa, to equalize.
Xavi lamented Barcelona’s failure to consolidate their lead, noting, “After we took the lead, they woke up, which is precisely when we should’ve killed off the game. This is the Champions League.”
Despite a tumultuous season for both Barcelona and Napoli, Barcelona showed confidence early on, according to Xavi. He remarked, “I really liked the performance from the team, I saw progress both in attack and defence. The performance was more than good, we just had to finish it off.”
The second leg is scheduled for March 12 in Barcelona, although it will not take place at Camp Nou due to ongoing renovations. Instead, it will be held at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.
FC Barcelona performance and stats
FC Barcelona is currently 1st in the Champions League with 12 points.
In the last 7 games, it has won 4 times, drawn once, and lost twice. In its last match, FC Barcelona drawn 1-1 against Napoli.
It has a positive goal difference after scoring 12 goals and conceding 6.
Napoli performance and stats
Napoli is currently 2nd in the Champions League with 10 points.
In the last 7 games, it has won 3 times, drawn twice, and lost twice. In its last match, Napoli drawn 1-1 against FC Barcelona.
It has a positive goal difference after scoring 10 goals and conceding 9.
