Foot: Barça will challenge Bayern in the Champions League

Argentinian Lionel Messi and FC Barcelona got the better of Kalidou Koulibaly and Napoli on August 8, 2020, in the knockout stages of the Champions League. REUTERS / Albert Gea

Text by: David Kalfa Follow

3 min

FC Barcelona will challenge Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals of the Football Champions League on August 14, 2020 in Lisbon. Barca beat Napoli 3-1 in the second leg, while Munich dominated Chelsea 4-1.

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Sometimes the outcome of a football match doesn't matter much. The one between FC Barcelona and SSC Napoli, this August 8, 2020 in the Champions League (C1), could thus have switched in favor of the Italian club, held in check in the first leg (1-1).

Because, from the 90th second, the Naples striker Dries Mertens took advantage of an involuntary deflection to regain the ball from a half-volley. The ball, however, struck the Catalan right upright.

The ubiquitous VAR

The fate of the first period was then played out through video refereeing assistance (VAR). First in the 10th minute. On a corner from the left, Barcelona's Clément Lenglet catapults the ball with his head into the opposing net (1-0). The VAR is used to check that the defender has not, by the way, fouled midfielder Diego Demme.

Then, at the 30th minute. Lionel Messi, who scored the 2-0 goal (23rd) on a personal feat, is deprived of the double. The cause ? He lightly touched the ball with one forearm, on a focused control of the chest. His small strike in the skylight had however been validated, at first.

During the stoppage of play, the same Messi however snatches a penalty. He throws himself on a ball that defender Kalidou Koulibaly is about to release. Despite the shock, the Argentine gets up. And, after viewing, the referee Cüneyt Çakir offers the opportunity to Luis Suarez to widen the gap: 3-0.

Just before the break, the same Cüneyt Çakir kind of rebalances the accounts. He whistles a foul from Barça midfielder Ivan Rakitic on Mertens, in the box. The striker Lorenzo Insigne takes the opportunity to revive Naples: 3-1, 45th + 5.

An impressive Bayern

The following ? The Neapolitans face the "Blaugrana" in a position of strength, thanks to their two goals ahead. For the space of a second, visitors certainly believe they are on the way to an achievement, when Arkadiusz Milik scores with a header. It is nevertheless and logically reported offside (81st).

It is therefore FC Barcelona who will challenge Bayern Munich on August 14, 2020 in Lisbon. The German club, on the other hand, has martyred Chelsea 4-1 after having already won 3-0 in the first leg last March. The five-month hiatus linked to the Covid-19 pandemic did not stop the momentum of the Bavarians, obviously. They will approach this end of the Champions League - exceptionally contested in Portugal - among the favorites for the final victory, scheduled for August 23.

2019-2020 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE : THE FINAL 8 PROGRAM

Quarter-finals (in Lisbon, single match):

Wednesday August 12: Atalanta Bergamo (Italy) - Paris SG (France)
Thursday August 13: RB Leipzig (Germany) - Atletico Madrid (Spain)
Friday August 14: FC Barcelona (Spain) - Bayern Munich (Germany)
Saturday August 15: Manchester City (England) - Lyon (France)

Semi-finals: (in Lisbon, single match)

Tuesday August 18: Leipzig or - Atalanta or Paris
Wednesday August 19: Manchester City or Lyon - Barcelona or Bayern

Final: Sunday 23 August at the Luz Stadium (Lisbon)

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