Messi carries Barca but Bayern lie in wait
Lionel Messi scored an excellent solo goal as Barcelona saw off Napoli on Saturday nonetheless they are likely to need something a lot more special from their captain to beat Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals.
Messi's weaving run and finish came between an early on Clement Lenglet header and a Luis Suarez penalty, also won by Messi, as Barca stormed right into a 3-0 lead in the first half at Camp Nou.
But Lorenzo Insigne gave Napoli hope just before the interval and an unconvincing second period from Barcelona left them hanging on for a 3-1 win on the night, 4-2 on aggregate.
Photo: Bayern Munich Fc
"A second goal could have given them a sense of euphoria that may hurt you," said Barca coach Quique Setien.
"It's normal to obtain a little nervous."
In winning the penalty, Messi took a heavy kick from Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly and needed treatment.
"It was a heavy knock," said Setien. "It has to be treated but I don't believe there is a problem."
After finishing five points behind Real Madrid in La Liga, Barca resumed in the Champions League with doubts hanging over the kind of the team and the continuing future of their coach.
Setien said on Friday he previously not considered resigning but failure in Europe, after a turbulent domestic campaign, may likely take your choice out of his hands.
Victory against Napoli eases the pressure but the performance won't inspire confidence, despite having Messi seemingly rejuvenated after three weeks rest.
Napoli, whose own league season only finished last weekend, should have had the good thing about rhythm but a disastrous opening around 30 minutes left them with a great deal to do.
Koulibaly, associated with a proceed to several elite European clubs come early july, endured an especially disappointing night.
Yet Barcelona must improve significantly to complement Bayern, who advanced after putting seven past Chelsea over two legs and so are arguably favourites to win the tournament.
"It will likely be very complicated," admitted Setien ahead of the quarter-final on Friday.
Messi now has four goals in his last three games and in a one-off match in Lisbon, the Argentinian is with the capacity of anything.
But Bayern have their own trump card in Robert Lewandowski and a far more complete team which makes them heavy favourites to attain the semis.
MISSION LISBON
Quarterfinals
Aug 12: Atalanta v PSG
Aug 13: Leipzig v Atletico
Aug 14: Barcelona v Bayern
Aug 15: Man City v Lyon
Semifinals
Aug 18: Leipzig/Atletico v Atalanta/PSG
Aug 19: Man City/Lyon v Barca/Bayern
Final: August 23
