Four years later and for the first time in the post-
Lionel Messi
era ,
Barcelona
returns to the quarterfinals of the
Champions League
.
The Barça team did not appear among the eight best teams on the continent since the 2019-2020 season, when, like this Tuesday, it also eliminated Napoli.
At the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium, those led by Xavi Hernández won 3-1 (4-2 on aggregate) to seal the series.
Fermín López, João Cancelo and Robert Lewandowski were the authors of the Blaugrana goals, while
Amir Rrahmani
scored for the Neapolitans, current champions of Serie A but who could not repeat their presence among the eight best in Europe as they did in the season pass.
Barcelona's last time in the quarterfinals is not a very pleasant memory.
They suffered one of the biggest defeats in their history against Bayern Munich (2-8), in a single match and without an audience due to the coronavirus, at the Luz stadium in Lisbon.
That European disaster precipitated the dismissal of coach Quique Setién and the arrival of Ronald Koeman, a replacement that did not improve Barcelona's performance in the Champions League, defeated in the round of 16 by PSG (1-4 and 1-1) in the 2020-2021 campaign.
Barça suffered the earliest elimination since 2006-2007, in the round of 16 against Liverpool (1-2 and 1-0), and put an end to thirteen uninterrupted seasons among the eight best teams in Europe, in which it was proclaimed champion in three Sometimes, they lost five times in the semifinals and another five times in the quarterfinals.
However, the worst was yet to come.
In the 2021-2022 campaign, without Leo Messi on the squad and with the arrival of Xavi Hernández as coach to relieve Koeman in November, Barça was eliminated in the group stage for the first time since the 2000-2001 season.
Condemned to play in the Europa League, where they lost in the quarterfinals against Eintracht (1-1 and 2-3).
History repeated itself last season.
Barcelona finished the group stage of the Champions League in third place and was eliminated by Manchester United in the intermediate round of the second continental competition (2-2 and 1-2).
With its return to the quarterfinals of the 'Champions' after four years of waiting, Barcelona hopes to have closed the worst European chapter of this century and, with the help of young talents like Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsí, to establish itself again in the continental elite.
Juventus to the Club World Cup
Photo: REUTERS/Massimo Pinca
This result was also celebrated in Italy.
It was not exactly in the South, where Napoli is, but in the North and just with its classic Juventus, which qualified for the new 2025
Club World Cup
. The Italian club raises the number of teams confirmed for the renewed universal event to 21, with what eleven remain to be known.
Barcelona still has options to enter this tournament, for which the English
Chelsea
and
Manchester City
,
Real Madrid
,
Inter Milan
, the Germans
Bayern Munich
and
Borussia Dortmund
, the French
PSG
and the Portuguese
Porto
have already certified their presence in Europe .
Benfica
.
Congratulations to 🇮🇹@juventusfc for qualifying for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™!
👏
As a result of the elimination of 🇮🇹@sscnapoli from the @ChampionsLeague, Juventus secures a place through European qualification and becomes the 10th team in Europe in… pic.twitter.com/dRYLeH2yGy
— FIFA (Spanish) (@fifacom_es) March 12, 2024
In addition, Al Haly
(Egypt) and
Wydad Casablanca
(1st place)
are classified for Africa ;
For South America, Palmeiras
(Brazil),
Flamengo
(Brazil),
Fluminense
(Brazil)
already have their ticket (3 left);
for Asia
Al-Hilal
(Saudi Arabia),
Urawa Red Diamonds
(Japan) (3 left);
for Concacaf,
Monterrey
(Mexico),
Seattle Sounders
(United States), León (Mexico) (2 left);
for Oceania,
Auckland City
(New Zealand);
and the aforementioned Europeans, where there are two places left.
Arsenal, due to penalties against Porto and concern for Varela
Photo: Reuters/Andrew Boyers
Arsenal left Alan Varela's Porto without sleep
.
The Argentine midfielder, summoned by Javier Mascherano for the tour of Mexico of the Under 23 National Team heading to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, left due to an injury in the Portuguese team when regular time was ending, presumably with a muscle injury.
HE LEFT EVERYTHING: Alan Varela was injured in the last match between Porto and Arsenal for the #CHAMPIONSxESPN.
📺 Watch the #ChampionsLeague on #StarPlusLA pic.twitter.com/uEWLQqRgM2
— SportsCenter (@SC_ESPN) March 12, 2024
He had to leave the Emirates stadium in London on a stretcher, when the match was already 1-0 in favor of the 'Gunners' (goal by Leandro Trossard), which equaled the overall score of the series and led the decision to penalties. after an extension in which not much happened.
After David Raya's final save in the shootout from eleven meters against Galeno, Mikel Arteta's Arsenal broke a streak of seven eliminations in the round of 16 in their last seven appearances in Europe's top competition.