UEFA Europa League: Barcelona hammer Napoli, Rangers send Borussia Dortmund packing

Gerard Pique was delighted with his Barcelona’s performance after what was perhaps their best display since Xavi Hernandez took over as coach in November. 

Barcelona hit top gear to trounce Napoli 4-2 away from home on Thursday (February 24) and sail into the last 16 of the Europa League 5-3 on aggregate. Jordi Alba gave Barca the lead in the eighth minute of the knockout stage playoff second leg with a rare strike on his weaker right foot and Frenkie de Jong put the Catalans further ahead with a curling shot after being teed up by a sumptuous backheel from Ferran Torres.

Lorenzo Insigne’s penalty gave Napoli hope but Gerard Pique restored Barca’s two-goal advantage right before halftime. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang added a fourth in the second period, netting for the fourth time in two games after hitting a hat-trick at Valencia in LaLiga on Sunday. Matteo Politano reduced the deficit to two goals in the 87th.

Pique makes it 3-1 on the night for Barcelona #UEL https://t.co/7MW5b9Qnt0 pic.twitter.com/V6zkLJzZDw

— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) February 24, 2022

Pique was delighted with his side’s performance after what was perhaps their best display since Xavi Hernandez took over as coach in November. “For a while the team have not been competing at the level a club like Barca should but we have returned to our roots, to the way we should always play, the way we perhaps had stopped playing,” he told reporters.