Barcelona scored early and often in a 4-2 win at Napoli on Thursday, securing a 5-3 aggregate score in the knockout round playoffs of the 2021-22 UEFA Europa League.
After the teams battled to a 1-1 draw in last week's first leg in Spain, the Blaugrana left little doubt which of the two sides is a current giant of the European game.
Jordi Alba got things going in the eighth minute as he finished off a blistering Barca counterattack. Five minutes later, Frenkie de Jong added his name to the score sheet with an audacious long-range chip that left Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret rooted to the ground as the ball floated into the upper-right corner.
The two quick goals left Napoli shell-shocked, although the home side received a lifeline when Victor Osimhen was brought down inside the Barcelona 18-yard box. That led to a successful 23rd-minute penalty kick by Lorenzo Insigne, which was one of the few moments the Napoli fans would have to cheer for on the night.
That's because Barcelona would not stop.
The Catalans regained their two-goal advantage a minute before halftime when stalwart defender Gerard Pique scored a nifty left-footer off the inside of the post on the second phase of a corner kick. Barca then went up by three goals just before the hour mark, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang striking the ball into the top right corner following a nice passing sequence by the visitors.
Napoli would eventually get a goal back, capitalizing on a giveaway inside the Barcelona penalty area in the 87th minute that resulted in a low, driven strike from Matteo Politano. Still, it was too little, too late for the Italians as Barca had already done enough to secure a spot in the next round.