BARCELONA – The last time Barcelona reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League, Lionel Messi was still playing for the club and the world was in lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the four years since then, there has been just one round of 16 appearance, two group stage eliminations and a lot of dwelling on the past. Now, however, as Barça returns to the quarter-finals for the first time since 2020 after beating Napoli on Tuesday, there is reason to look towards a brighter future, even if this season hasn't gone entirely to plan after win LaLiga last year.
Fermín López, João Cancelo and Robert Lewandowski may have scored the goals as Barça beat Italian champions Napoli 3-1 at the Olympic Stadium, making it 4-2 on aggregate, but it was once again teenagers Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsí who were most impressive. .
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Yamal, 16, was the author of Barça's victory against Mallorca at the weekend and was often too good for Napoli's experienced left-back Mário Rui, who struggled to deal with his pace and trickery. The Spanish international led the counterattack that led to the second goal in the 17th minute, pondering a perfect pass to Raphinha, whose shot hit the post and was deflected by Cancelo. At that point, López, the 20-year-old midfielder replacing the injured Pedri and Frenkie de Jong, had already opened the scoring with a good finish as part of an impressive Barça start.
Perhaps the only disappointment for Yamal, who already has 13 goals this season, was that he did not add his own name to the scoresheet. He had five shots and came close, a left-footed effort that went inches wide in the second half.
In defense, Cubarsí, 17, won the battle against Iñigo Martínez for the starting job and did not disappoint in his debut in the Champions League. He went toe-to-toe with Napoli's danger man Victor Osimhen, proving to be more than prepared for the physical battle. With the ball, in his twelfth game with the first team, he shone again, completing 61 of his 68 passes, several of them breaking lines to generate counterattacking chances.
“It's incredible, he was the best player of the game,” said midfielder Sergi Roberto about Cubarsí's performance. “He never ceases to surprise us, in the round of 16 of the Champions League and playing this way… he is a player who can be here for his entire life.”
It is notable that these young players are already having such an impact on the Barça senior team. Against Napoli, they became the first club in the history of the Champions League knockout stage to start several players under the age of 18. They have now started three different under-18 players in a Champions League knockout stage match: the aforementioned duo and Bojan Krkic in 2008, surpassing Bayern Munich's record (Jamal Musiala and David Alaba).
It is a vindication for La Masia in Barça's moment of need. Since coach Xavi Hernández, who led Barça to its first LaLiga title since 2019 last season, announced that he would resign in the summer, results have started to improve. They are now unbeaten in nine matches in all competitions. Aside from the return of goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen from injury and the use of Andreas Christensen as a defensive midfielder, much of that is down to Yamal and Cubarsí. López, another player from the club's youth system, was also brilliant for an hour before tiring against Napoli.
There will be caution about how far Barça can go from now on. There were some familiar defensive lapses as they let Napoli back into the game, Cancelo giving up the right flank to Matteo Politano who set up defender Amir Rrahmani to get the Serie A side back into the game before the break. There were some nervy moments after the break, but Barça weathered the storm and deservedly sealed their place in the quarter-finals when substitute Roberto did well to set up Lewandowski.
Lewandowski's 19th goal of the season sparked wild scenes at the Olympic Stadium as the entire Barça bench crowded into a corner to celebrate. This was a significant night for the club: their first Champions League tie at home with fans since the semi-final against Liverpool in 2019 (Napoli and Paris Saint-Germain in 2020 and 2021 were played behind closed doors). There was a fantastic atmosphere inside and outside the stadium (which has not always been the case this season at Barça's temporary home, where they play while Spotify Camp Nou is being refurbished) and, in the end, a result to match.
Qualification also means a €10.6 million payout for the club, plus revenue from another big home game, which is important because they had budgeted for a quarter-final appearance in their annual accounts.
They may not progress further. Manchester City, Real Madrid, PSG and Bayern Munich may still be out of reach, but the club is back where it believes it belongs. And having the help of the talent developed by the academy will make everything feel even sweeter. They are still eight points behind the leader in LaLiga, but Xavi's dream farewell is still a possibility in Europe.
