BARCELONA – After dropping out of the Champions League, Barcelona now faces a difficult task just to qualify for the round of 16 in the UEFA Europa League.
In its first appearance in the second-tier European competition in nearly two decades, the Catalan club was held 1-1 by Napoli at Camp Nou Stadium in the first-leg of one of eight playoffs between third-place finishers in the Champions League groups and Europa League group runners-ups.
It is the first time since 2003-04 that Barcelona is not in the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League, a tournament it won five times.
In the other matchups, Scottish club Rangers stunned Borussia Dortmund 4-2 away, Real Betis won 3-2 at Zenit St. Petersburg and Sheriff beat Braga 1-0.
In the playoff matches to reach the last 16 of the inaugural Europa Conference League, PSV Eindhoven, Rapid Vienna, Midtjylland and Slavia Prague won the opening leg.
The second-leg games in both competitions are scheduled for Feb 24.
Ferran Torres salvaged the draw for Barcelona by converting a penalty that was awarded due to Juan Jesus´ handball in the 59th minute. The forward calmly sent goalkeeper Alex Meret the opposite way from the spot.
Barcelona dominated the remaining 30 minutes but couldn’t find a winner, AP reported.
Napoli scored from a counterattack after Torres wasted a chance to net for Barcelona. At the other end, Eljif Elmas set up Piotr Zieli´nski for the opener in the 29th. Barcelona goalkeeper Ter Stegen saved his first low attempt but the Polish midfielder fired a rebound in the roof of the net.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang made his first start for Barcelona after his move from Arsenal but was stifled by a well-organized Napoli defense.
In Dortmund, James Tavernier gave Rangers the lead by sending the goalkeeper the wrong way from the spot in the 38th after a video review confirmed the ball hit the hand of Dan-Axel Zagadou. Alfredo Morelos doubled the advantage for the visitors just three minutes later.
Dortmund improved in the second half but Rangers were firmly in charge. John Lundstram´s long drive increased the lead to 3-0 before English midfielder Jude Bellingham gave the hosts some hope. That was seemingly extinguished after Zagadou scored an own goal, although Raphael Guerreiro’s long-distance strike eight minutes from time means Dortmund could still have a chance.
Dortmund´s American midfielder Gio Reyna came on as a substitute after halftime to play only the second match since returning from a five-month layoff caused by a hamstring injury. The 19-year-old Reyna was named after Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Rangers´ current coach and a teammate of his dad, Claudio Reyna, at the Scottish club from 1999-2001.
In St. Petersburg, Betis looked ruthless the opening 20 minutes. Guido Rodríguez headed into the top corner of the net to put the Spanish team ahead in the eight minute. Ten minutes later, forward Willian Jose doubled the advantage after a solo effort.
Zenit then staged a comeback as Artem Dzyuba reduced the deficit for Zenit in the 25th minute, and Malcom equalized another three minutes later. Still in the first half, Andres Guardado restored the lead for Betis, which capitalized on a defensive blunder.
After Sherriff´s impressive Champions League debut that included a stunning 2-1 upset of Real Madrid, Moldova´s champion opened its Europa League campaign with a home victory over Braga in Tiraspol.
Sébastien Thill netted from the spot late in the first half and Adama Traore added the second in the 83rd on a counterattack as the visitors were pushing for an equalizer.
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