Champions League
Lewandowski goal is not enough for Barça – shock for Arsenal
Ilkay Gündogan (l) and FC Barcelona couldn’t get past a 1-1 draw in Naples despite taking the lead. photo
© Alessandro Garofalo/LaPresse via ZUMA Press/dpa
FC Barcelona leads in Naples after a Lewandowski goal, but still doesn’t win. Arsenal loses in stoppage time.
In the duel between the Spanish football champions and the Italian champion, star striker Robert Lewandowski put the Catalans in the front with his 93rd Champions League goal after the break (60th minute). Naples’ top scorer Victor Osimhen (75th) managed to equalize. In the second game of the evening, Galeno (90+4) scored late to make it 1-0 (0-0) for FC Porto against Arsenal FC.
Barcelona were the better team for long stretches in Naples, where coach Francesco Calzona made his debut. Led by German national team captain Ilkay Gündogan, the guests pushed for a 1-0 lead from the start, but this only came after the break. National goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen was powerless when Naples scored Osimhen’s goal. Gündogan missed Barcelona’s last good chance with a low shot shortly before the final whistle.
In Porto, having Kai Havertz in the starting line-up didn’t help Arsenal’s possession of the ball, as coach Mikel Arteta’s team rarely found solutions in front of the opponent’s goal. The hosts even had the better chances, Galeno hit the post from close range midway through the first half. The 26-year-old did better in stoppage time when he flicked the ball into the goal from around 18 meters.