BARCELONA – The last time Barça reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League, they wouldl Lionel Messi Kids Soccer Set still in the club, and the world was closed because of COVID-19.
In the four years that have passed since then, there has been only one appearance in the round of 16, two eliminations in the group stage and a lot of dwelling on the past. But now that Barça are back among the last eight teams for the first time since 2020 after Tuesday’s win over Napoli, there are reasons to look towards a better future – even if this season hasn’t gone quite to plan after last year’s LaLiga triumph.
Fermín López, João Cancelo and Robert Lewandowski may have scored the goals as Barça beat Italian champions Napoli 3-1 at the Olympic Stadium to claim a 4-2 aggregate victory, but it was once teenagers Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsí who were the most impressive.
Sixteen-year-old Yamal was the winner of Barça’s match against Mallorca at the weekend and was often too good for Napoli’s experienced left-back Mario Ruia, who struggled to cope with his speed and tricks. The Spain international led the counter-attack that led to the second goal in the 17th minute and passed perfectly to Rafinha, whose shot towards the bar was parried by Cancelo. By then López, the 20-year-old midfielder filling in for the injured Pedri and Frenkie de Jong, had already opened the scoring with a fine finish as part of Barça’s thrilling opening.
Perhaps the only disappointment for Jamal, who already has 13 goal contributions this season, was that he did not put himself on the scoresheet. He had five shots and came close, one whipped in left-footed effort curling inches wide in the second half.
At full-back, the 17-year-old Cubarsí won a battle with Iñigo Martínez for a place in the starting line-up and did not disappoint on his Champions League debut. He came face to face with Napoli’s dangerous Victor Osimhen and proved he was more than ready for a physical battle. In only his twelfth start in the first team, he once again excelled, completing 61 of his 68 passes, several of which went into attack and set up chances for counter attacks.
“He’s unbelievable, he was the best player of the game,” midfielder Sergi Roberto said of Cubarsi’s performance. “He never ceases to surprise us, in the last 16 of the Champions League and playing in such a way… he’s a player who could be here all his life.”
It is remarkable that these young players are already having such an impact on Barça’s senior team. Against Napoli, they became the first club in Champions League knockout stage history to field multiple players under the age of 18. They have now started three different under-18 players in Champions League knockout stage matches – the aforementioned duo and Bojan Krkic in 2008 – breaking Bayern Munich’s record (Jamal Musiala and David Alaba).
For La Masia, this is vindication at a time when Barça needs it. Results have started to improve since coach Xavi Hernández, who led Barça to their first LaLiga title since 2019 last season, announced he would step down in the summer. They are now unbeaten in nine games in all competitions. Apart from the return of goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen from injury and the use of Andreas Christensen as a defensive midfielder, Jamal and Cubarsí have a lot to do with that. López, another player from the club’s academy, also shone against Napoli for an hour before tiring.
There will be cautious talk about how far Barça can go. There were familiar mistakes in defence as they let Napoli back into the game, Cancelo handing over the right wing to Matteo Politano, who prompted defender Amir Rrahmani to get the Serie A team back into the game before half-time. There were a few nervy moments after the break, but Barça weathered the storm and deservedly sealed their promotion to the last eight when substitute Roberto set up the ball well for Lewandowski.
Lewandowski’s 19th goal of the season sparked wild scenes at the Olympic Stadium as the entire Barça bench scattered to a corner to celebrate. It was a momentous evening for the club: the first home Champions League knockout match with the fans since the semi-final against Liverpool Cheap Soccer Jersey in 2019 (Naples and Paris Saint-Germain in 2020 and 2021 were played behind closed doors). There was an amazing atmosphere in and out of the stadium – something that has not always been the case this season at Barça’s temporary home during Spotify’s Camp Nou redevelopment – and ultimately a corresponding result.
Advancing to the quarter-finals also means a payout of €10.6 million for the club – plus the revenue from the next big home game – which is important because it had factored in a quarter-final appearance in its annual accounts.
Further progress may prove challenging Manchester City Women’s Soccer Jersey, Real Madrid, PSG and Bayern Munich may still be formidable opponents, but the club is back where it belongs. The fact that it is aided by talent brought up in the academy will add to the satisfaction. Despite being eight points behind in LaLiga, Xavi’s dream farewell in Europe remains possible.