Former Barcelona defender Gerard Piqué has today moved to reveal his appreciation for the display put forth by his ex-employers on the continent on Tuesday night.
Barca, of course, are fresh off booking their spot in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
After battling their way to a 1-1 stalemate in the first leg of the club’s Last-16 showdown with Italian champions Napoli, the Blaugrana welcomed Francesco Calzona’s troops to Catalunya’s capital, with their season all but on the line.
And, when all was said and done, Xavi’s men rose to the challenge, thanking goals on the part of all of Fermín López, João Cancelo and Robert Lewandowski for an eventual 3-1 triumph.
One former member of Barca’s ranks who could not help but be impressed by the performance on the part of the hosts at Montjuïc, meanwhile, was the aforementioned Gerard Piqué.
Ex-stopper Piqué is of course no stranger to the pressures of a big night in the Champions League, having played a central role in the Blaugrana marching all the way to glory on the continent on three separate occasions.
And, speaking in an interview with Sky Sport Italia (as cited by Diario Sport) earlier today, the Spaniard was quick to reveal his take that Xavi and co. were fully deserving of booking their spot in the competition’s last eight:
“Barça played really well against Napoli, and deserved to qualify. Reaching the quarter-finals after so many years is very important.”
Piqué continued:
“Now let’s see, there are five games left to lift the cup. Let’s hope that Barça is champion. It will be difficult because all the best in Europe are in the quarter-finals. But the Napoli game left good feelings.”
Conor Laird | GSFN
