Antoine Griezmann’s Goal Against Napoli Ends Disastrous Barcelona Record in UEFA Champions League
The Spanish giants were underwhelming in their performance as they dominated the possession stats but just managed two shots on target in the entire game. This game was also the first time that a Barcelona player other than Lionel Messi has scored in the knockout stages on the road for the club since Neymar in 2015.
Since their Champions League win in 2015, Barcelona have been underwhelming in the knockout stages of the showcase European competition. Most of it has been down to their failure to score crucial goals away from home in the two-legged elimination ties. Barcelona players have struggled to find the net in the games on the road and Antoine Griezmann became the first player other than Lionel Messi to score an away goal in UCL knockout stages for the Spanish giants since Neymar netted against Bayern Munich in the 2015 semi-final. Napoli 1–1 Barcelona, UEFA Champions League 2019–20: Antoine Griezmann Bails Out Spanish Giants After Poor Display in Naples.
Antoine Griezmann’s goal bailed out Barcelona in their first-leg Champions League last-16 clash against Napoli as the teams played out a 1-1 draw. The Spanish giants were underwhelming in their performance as they dominated the possession stats but just managed two shots on target in the entire game. This game was also the first time that a Barcelona player other than the Argentine has managed to score in the knockout stages on the road for the club since Neymar in 2015. Dries Mertens Scores Wonder Goal Against Barcelona in Champions League, Equals Marek Hamsik’s Record As Napoli’s All-Time Top Scorer.
This is a disappointing statistic for a club that is expected to compete for Champions League title every season and also considering the fact that they have spent a huge amount of money on forward players in the past few years to help them in their bid for European glory. Players such as Luis Suarez, Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho have all failed to find the back of the net in away games.
‘We will not win it as we are’ said Lionel Messi in a recent interview with Marca and the Argentine looks right on the money. Barcelona look far from a team that will challenge for the champions league glory this season and new manager Quique Setien still has a lot of work to do if he wants his side to compete with the best teams on the highest levels.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 26, 2020 10:44 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).