Barcelona’s young defender, Pau Cubarsi, has shared insights into neutralizing Napoli’s forward, Victor Osimhen, during their recent UEFA Champions League encounter.
At just 17, Pau Cubarsi, experiencing his inaugural season in professional soccer, made an impeccable Champions League debut last night.
Forming a solid partnership with Ronald Araujo in Barcelona’s defense, they restricted Napoli to a mere four shots on goal, with Victor Osimhen managing only a single attempt.
While Robert Lewandowski and Osimhen both found the net in the first leg at the Estadio Diego Armando Maradona, Barcelona responded swiftly in the return leg with early goals from Fermin Lopez and Joao Cancelo, leaving Napoli reeling.
Although Amir Rrahmani netted a goal for the reigning Serie A champions, Lewandowski’s late strike in the Olympic Stadium assured Barcelona a slot in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals with a 4-2 victory on aggregate.
Emerging from Barcelona’s esteemed La Masia academy, Cubarsi was named man of the match for his exceptional performance. He attributed his success in containing the previous Serie A leading scorer to the strategy and preparation provided by Barcelona’s coach, Xavi Hernandez.
“Xavi gave me the details on what to do to stop Osimhen, and the fans in the stands helped us a lot, they were the 12th player. It’s an honor to make my Champions League debut by winning the Man of the Match award and reaching the quarter-finals,” the 17-year-old said according to Get Football Spain.
Cubarsi emerged victorious in all six ground challenges he faced during the match, primarily contending with Osimhen.
He also accomplished five clearances and achieved a pass accuracy of 90%. The young player was outstanding in his performance.
