Ferran Torres’s first goal for Barcelona levels up Napoli tie

17-Feb-2022 20:12:48 | The Guardian

There were five minutes to go when Luuk de Jong was introduced at the Camp Nou and maybe it should have been more. Barcelona were drawing 1-1 with Napoli in their first game in this competition for two decades, seeking the goal that would give them a lead for the second leg in Italy. They almost got it too, the Dutch striker they had tried to move on in the winter coming closer in a frantic finale than anyone else had done in the previous 85 minutes.

In the end, though, De Jong’s comic-book moment wasn’t quite enough, his overhead kick flashing just past the post, and Barcelona ran out of time. Ferran Torres scored the penalty that levelled things after Piotr Zielinski gave Napoli the lead, but he above all will reflect on the ones that got away on a night when Barcelona and Napoli were playing for a place in a competition that they aspire to avoid.