Barcelona has raised the level of the game compared to most of their displays during the season, but Napoli was too big ‘bite’ for the Catalonians. The first duel between the Spanish and Italian representatives for a place in the eighth finals of the Europa League ended in a 1:1 draw, which means that in seven days in Naples we will have a fierce battle for the next round. They are aware of that at the Camp Nou, especially Ferran Torres, who finished the match with Napoli in tears. Although he scored from penalty in the 59th minute, the 21-year-old winger missed several great opportunities to be the hero of his team. Napoli survive heavy barrage at Camp Nou as Xavi continues to model Barca in his imageThe youngster is under a lot of pressure, having in mind how much the Catalans struggled to bring him from Manchester City in the January transfer window. He was paid 7 billion Ksh and in order to be licensed, the forgotten Samuel Umtiti had to agree to a salary reduction. Therefore, his mistakes will not be tolerated for a long time.50º – Ferrán Torres 🇪🇸 is the 50th different player to score on his European debut for @FCBarcelona (in major European competition – excluding qualifiers) netting the first penalty goal in his 146 games in all competitions. Responsibility#BarcelonaNapoli ❤💙#EuropaLeague pic.twitter.com/tndlzayldi— OptaJose (@OptaJose) February 17, 2022 On the field, Torres seems full of confidence. He is ready to take responsibility and pull the team, but when the lights go out, it is not surprising that the 21-year-old experiences an emotional breakdown because of everything that surrounds him. But, he has full backing from his coach.“I have remembered it in the locker room, it also happened to Suarez in his first games. We must have faith, I’m sure he will score many goals. The Barcelona jersey weighs more heavily than others, but he should know that he has our absolute trust. I am very happy that he is playing for Barcelona and hope he will be here for a long time. It’s a pity we aren’t going to Naples with at least a one-goal advantage, but the sensations are very positive. If we continue like this, we will win many games” said Xavi.We support you, keep going 💪 pic.twitter.com/E7F4rgfwGz— TalkFCB © (@talkfcb_) February 17, 2022 And apart from Dembele, who was met with boos from the home crowd every time he touched the ball, Torres was again the center of attention. After wearing the regular Barca shirt in the first half Torres came out from the locker room in the second with a jersey in which both the Barcelona shield and the logo of the sports brand that sponsors the Catalans were missing. So far, nobody gave an explanation what happened, but everybody noticed it.
