Xavi: Barcelona deserved more in Italy

Barcelona manager Xavi has stated that his team deserved more than the 1-1 draw they secured in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 clash at the Diego Maradona Stadium on Wednesday.

The Spanish champions were playing in their first knockout stage fixture in the UEFA Champions League for the first time in 3 years, and they failed to get a win away in Naples.

After a goalless first half of the fixture, Barcelona took the lead through Poland’s strike and Robert Lewandowski on the hour mark, but they failed to hold up to the lead as Nigerian striker Victor Osihmen equalized for the hosts 15 minutes later to keep the fixture in balance.

Xavi believed that his team played a very good game and held long possessions but should have slowed down the game when they went 1-0 up. He believes his team deserved more after dominating the game for over 70 minutes.

“We dominated for 75 minutes but they scored with their first shot at goal. It’s not a good result because this was a game to win. The team performed and we created a lot of chances, but we weren’t effective, as we haven’t been all season. We generated a lot of chances today. We deserved a lot more than we got. But we lost control of the game after Lewandowski scored. It’s a bitter feeling, but I am sure that by playing like that we can qualify. We are pleased with the game even though the result wasn’t kind to us. We can feel proud of ourselves.” Xavi said.

Barcelona will turn their attention to the La Liga this Saturday as they face Getafe at home. They will play two more fixtures in the league, including games against Athletic Club and Mallorca, before hosting Napoli at the Olympics stadium in Barcelona on March 12.

Daniel Ademiju Idowu