Barcelona vs Napoli: Why We Couldn't Beat Victor Osimhen's Team in UCL Match, Xavi Opens Up
- Xavi Hernandez has rued a missed opportunity as his Barcelona side failed to defeat Napoli in a UCL clash
- In the match played in Napoli, the two sides battled to a stalemate that might not be too bad for either team
- Legit.ng reports that Xavi lamented the fact that his side had the game in their hands but lacked the control needed to dominate the match
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering sports and football.
Napoli, Italy - Head coach of Barcelona, Xavi Hernández, has said his side were unable to defeat Victor Osimhen's Napoli in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) on Wednesday night, February 21, because they were not calm after going in front.
Legit.ng reports that Poland hitman, Robert Lewandowski, and Super Eagles star, Victor Osimhen, both scored in the second half, as Napoli and Barcelona drew 1-1 in their UCL round of 16, 1st leg tie in Italy.
Source: Getty Images
Although Barcelona were the better team on the night, Xavi said they lacked the maturity to manage the contest.
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Xavi is aware that it was a missed opportunity for his side to establish a lead going into the second leg in Spain.
Speaking after the game, Sport quoted him as saying:
“We deserved the victory. We just needed to calm down the game after scoring, while playing on the opposite half, that’s what I missed. But it’s the Champions League, they scored from the one chance they had.”
ESPN added:
"It is a bittersweet feeling because we had the game in our hands.
"We played well. We defended well; Napoli didn't create much, but in the moment (after taking the lead) we lacked control when we needed to dominate, show personality and be aggressive.
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"It's a shame. It was a good performance in general and I am proud of the image we have shown Europe. This is the Barça we want, but we lacked maturity to (manage the game).
"Maybe physically they were stronger than us in individual duels, but playing this way we have good chance of going through and will win more than we lose."
UCL match: Expectations ahead of return leg
Ahead of the second leg in Spain on Tuesday, March 12, a sports blogger, Ndagi Suleiman, said in the event Napoli boots out Barca, fans of the Catalan club should still stand by Xavi.
According to Suleiman, Xavi is a type of sporting personality who will always put Barcelona's interests above his own.
He told Legit.ng:
"I just believe Barca fans should be content with whatever results Xavi churns out for some more years.
"They chose to give him such a big job even while his coaching badges at the time he was employed didn't qualify him."
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Burna Boy performs at UCL final
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that many Nigerians watched the UCL 2023 final with pride after seeing one of their own, Burna Boy, perform at the competition's final.
With this achievement, Burna Boy becomes the first African artist to perform at the UCL final and set history as the first Afrobeat artist to do it.
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Source: Legit.ng
