The first half of the Champions League Round of 16 is over with two games that aren’t the best we’ve seen, but especially the second half in both Drago and Diego Maradona were outstanding with Porto taking a huge win (1-0) over Arsenal and Napoli to keep their hopes alive (1-1 with Barcelona).
Porto – Arsenal 1-0
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Porto came into the match stronger, pressed high, circulated better and tried to look threatening to Arsenal’s goal. In fact, in the 13th minute, the hosts missed an incredible opportunity to score. Galeno found himself in a shooting position, sent the ball to the post, took the rebound and in an empty net… managed to send the ball out. Until the 30th minute, the Londoners did not manage to find lanes for Diogo Costa’s goal, but the Portuguese didn’t have a good moment either.
Arsenal after half an hour she took steps, improved her circulation and tried with some shots from outside the area to threaten. The visitors had possession, but not the means to do anything dangerous in open play. A dangerous Saliba header just before the end was the best Arteta’s side had to offer in the opening 45 minutes.
The setting did not change in the replay. Arsenal came in stronger, tried to threaten and in the 56th minute had their best moment of the match. Rice took the corner, Trossard was in position to shoot but the shot went wide. The Londoners tried to be dangerous, but to no avail, as Porto were excellent in the blocking part.
Galeno’s goal changed the fate of the match
The “Dragons” equalized after 60′, took measures and in 67′ were very close to the goal. Evanilson came a breather from goal but a terrific display by Declan Rice kept his side clean. Somewhere there the match… faded, Arsenal paid more attention to their defense, Porto did not risk and stayed in the suspension game. All this until the 3rd minute of delay. The player who missed the chance of the year, achieved the goal of this year’s event. Galeno lifted his head from 30 meters and with an improbable, masterful goal gave Porto the victory, giving them the lead in qualifying.
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Napoli – Barcelona 1-1
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Finally among the… blind no one-eyed man appeared to reign. Naples and Barcelona confirmed their competitive problems this year, neutralized each other and remained 1-1 at “Diego Armando Maradona”, with the qualification to the quarter-finals of the Champions League decided in the second leg of the Olympic Stadium of Montjuic (Tuesday 12/03, 22:00).
In his premiership, Francesco Calzona started, for the first time in 2024, Victor Oshimen, who has been absent until now due to injury, but also his participation in the Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria.
With Andreas Christensen firmly in the defensive midfield role, Xavi opted for Gilles Couté on the right-hand side of the defense in order for the Frenchman to (at least try to) limit the action of Kviha Kvaratshelia.
Meret kept Napoli up
The Blaugrana (in yellow tonight) were superior in the first half and, had it not been for Alex Merrett, could well have gone into the dressing room ahead, even by more than a goal.
With ‘good evening’, the very active but inaccurate final effort Lamin Yamal threatened with a cross, with the 16-year-old winger testing Meret’s reflexes shortly afterwards and Pedry late on to take advantage of the rebound.
The hosts, due to the effective pressure of the guests, were forced to close in their own frames, with Meret shouting “present” again and stopping the 0-1 on a close-range shot by Robert Lewandowski, while immediately after… he flew into his window for to make a “poisonous” shot by Ilkay Gintogan.
After the first, Catalan half-hour, the Partenopei slowly came out of their shell, but without creating any problems for Marc-Andre ter Stegen, since Osimen was well covered by Ronald Araujo and there were always assists in Koude’s marking of Kvarachelia.
One of you (Lewandowski) and one of mine (Osimen)
The Neapolitans initially appeared to be more level-headed in the second half, but it was short-lived as, after the opening stages, the Catalans regained possession, with Guidogan putting weakly into the arms of Meret and Juan Jesus making a last-minute clearance before by Lewandowski, after Cancelo’s cross.
The Pole had not particularly made his presence felt, but in the 60th minute, after a vertical pass from the (excellent) Pedris, he sent the ball deep into the Italian goal with a nice drift shot from inside the area for 0-1, which it did justice, based on the overall picture of the match.
This was “Leva’s” 31st goal in a Champions League knockout game (fourth on the relevant list), but also Barca’s first in a knockout of the top club competition after… three years (!) and Lionel Messi’s goal against Paris Saint-Germain in March 2021.
Pedri, with a direct shot from outside the area, almost surprised Meret, with Calzona surprising and replacing (negative is the truth) Kvaratshelia, who came off visibly annoyed.
Napoli gave no sense of danger, but Osimen, like Lewandowski, needs half a yard to make the difference. A vertical pass by Andre Zambo Angisa, a pivot move by the Nigerian that freed Inigo Martinez and a shot in the depth of the Catalan goal for 1-1 (76′).
Osimene’s goal, who was substituted soon after, boosted the hosts, who played their best minutes of the match and believed in a turnaround, against a Barca who looked like they had lost their way, although they were not really threatened with a second goal. .
In the final, on the contrary, the visitors were the ones who came close to 2-1, when Gintogan’s shot from the height of the large area went just wide of Meret’s goal.
The results so far and the remaining schedule of the first matches for the “16” phase of the Champions League:
Leipzig (Germany)-Real Madrid (Spain) 0-1
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Copenhagen (Denmark)-Manchester City (England) 1-3
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Lazio (Italy)-Bayern Munich (Germany) 1-0
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Paris Saint-Germain (France)-Real Sociedad (Spain) 2-0
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Inter (Italy)-Atletico Madrid (Spain) 1-0
Eindhoven (Netherlands)-Dortmund (Germany) 1-1
Porto (Portugal)-Arsenal (England) 1-0
Napoli (Italy)-Barcelona (Spain) 1-1
The draw for the quarter-finals and semi-finals of the competition is scheduled for March 15.
Source: www.gazzetta.gr
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