They are the only two giants of European football to have attended. FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich will face each other in the quarter-final of the Champions League following their qualifications on Saturday August 8 against Naples and Chelsea in the round of 16 second leg.
For the 13th consecutive year, Barça will be in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Hanging 1-1 on the first leg in Italy, the Catalan club beat Naples 3-1 on Saturday to ensure a new presence among the last eight survivors in C1.
Naples had started with good intentions, putting a lot of pressure on the Barcelona at the start of the match, but the Italians were taken aback by a goal from a corner of the French Clément Lenglet (10th), with a crossed header taking against -foot Daniel Ospina.
The goal of the break came, inevitably, from Lionel Messi (23rd), who dribbled three Neapolitan defenders, fell, almost lost the ball, got up and recovered it to go to lodge it in the small net of the Neapolitan guardian.
The Argentinian continued his recital a few minutes later with perfect chest control in the box and then a shot deceiving Ospina, but his goal was denied for a hardly visible hand, after resorting to video assistance ( VAR).
And it is Messi, always, that came the third goal, since it is by sneaking in front of Kalidou Koulibaly in the area that he caused a foul of the Senegalese and obtained a penalty, that transformed from a strike in the top corner Luis Suarez (45th + 1).
Naples reduced the gap a few minutes later by Lorenzo Insigne, still from the penalty spot (45th + 5). A goal that allowed the Italians to believe it in the second period, with two goals to be scored to qualify.
The Barcelona could even have trembled in the last ten minutes if the goal scored by Milik had not logically been refused for offside. But Barça, even without being flamboyant, is again in quarters.
Hansi Flick’s Bayern, for their part, are favorites in the countryside. After a 3-0 demonstration in the first leg at Stamford Bridge in February, the German club calmly dominated Chelsea 4-1 on Saturday in the second leg, and will aim in Lisbon for a resounding Championship-Cup-C1 treble.
The games were already almost over after the first leg, but Hansi Flick fielded his best available elements on Saturday, including the top scorer in the C1 this season, Robert Lewandowski.
It was the Pole who opened the scoring in the 10th minute from the penalty spot. Ivan Perisic doubled the mark a few minutes later (24th) to allow the Bavarians to lead 5-0 in both matches.
Chelsea saved the honor by Tammy Abraham at the end of the first period (44th) but the Londoners had already understood for a long time, already, that their fate was sealed.
And Bayern again saluted the addition in the second period, by Corentin Tolisso first (76th) then by the second goal of the evening, the 13th of the season in C1, from Robert Lewandowski (84th), more than ever on traces of Ronaldo’s record (17 goals).
Author of a very clean match, Bayern was able to perfect its automatisms one last time before the “Final 8”. The Bavarians, authors of the first hat-trick in their history in 2013, are three games away from rewriting history.
Friday, August 7, Olympique Lyonnais had paid for the feat of eliminating Juventus Turin, who sacked his coach Maurizio Sarri on Saturday, replaced by Andrea Pirlo. Manchester City had for its part offered Real Madrid.
Among the eight qualified for the “Final 8” which will take place from August 12 to 23 in Lisbon, Barça and Bayern are the only two clubs to have already won the Champions League. With five trophies each, it will be two of the biggest European clubs that will face each other on Friday for a place in the semi-finals. The other quarters (Atalanta-Paris SG, Leipzig-Atlético Madrid and Lyon-Manchester City) will all pit teams that have never won the Cup with big ears.
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