Napoli defender surprised with Barcelona prodigy being ‘one year younger than his daughter’

Despite only securing a 1-1 result at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in the first leg against Napoli, Barcelona stepped up and put three past the Italians at home to progress to the quarterfinals on aggregate.

Robert Lewandowski, Joao Cancelo and Fermin Lopez were the three players to find the back of the net in the do-or-die clash, but it was once again the team’s two teenage talents who stole the show – Pau Cubarsi and Lamine Yamal.

Winning praise from the opponent

Cubarsi was handed the man-of-the-match award after 90 minutes for his mature masterclass against Victor Osimhen that virtually eliminated the striker from the game.

Yamal, meanwhile, dazzled down the team’s left flank and ripped apart the Naples-based side’s defence for fun. The team’s second goal on the night was completely created by the teenager.

Lamine Yamal running the show against Napoli – Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images

Speaking to the media earlier this week, Napoli centre-back Juan Jesus gave his reading of Barcelona’s two prodigal talents (h/t DAZN) and his comment only makes one realise how incredibly young the duo are.

“Lamine Yamal at 16 played well against us. Cubarsi was born in 2007, he’s one year younger than my daughter and that’s scary. It’s amazing to see such young players performing at this level,” Jesus said.

Jesus continued to praise Yamal: “I don’t want to compare him to Neymar yet… but he has the quality to do great things.”

The Atletico question

Barcelona’s outing against Napoli was indeed one of the team’s most important games of the year. The upcoming fixture against Atletico Madrid, however, gains equal prominence.

It thus remains to be seen how Xavi manages the minutes of both teenage talents on the night. Cubarsi and Yamal are both deserved starters against Los Rojiblancos, but the upcoming international break throws the extent of their participation in doubt.

After all, both players are likely to be called up by Luis de La…

Source link : https://barcauniversal.com/napoli-defender-surprised-with-barcelona-prodigy-being-one-year-younger-than-his-daughter/

Author : Adithya Eshwarla

Publish date : 2024-03-15 06:20:00

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