Napoli was not involved in the initial phase. The new coach Francesco Calzona, only appointed on Monday, saw his team mainly decline once morest a dominating Barcelona that had fielded the youngest player ever in the knockout phase of the Champions League with Lamine Yamal (16 years and 223 days).
Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret was busy and distinguished himself with a save in the 22nd minute from an Ilkay Gündogan shot.
At Napoli, Victor Osimhen returned to the team following two months. The attacker reached the final of the African Cup of Nations with Nigeria. Only towards the end of the first half did he find some more fellow players in his area and the home team had a few chances.
After an hour, Robert Lewandowski gave Barcelona the lead. The Pole shot between two defenders on a pass from Pedri. It was his 93rd goal in the Champions League, but only his second in that competition this season.
First shot on target
Osimhen equalized fifteen minutes later, regarding to be substituted. He turned away from Iñigo Martínez and passed Marc-André ter Stegen with a low shot, Napoli’s first between the posts. In the very last seconds, Gündogan was close to making it 2-1 with a shot, the ball went just wide.
The return in Barcelona is on Tuesday, March 12.