Napoli 1-1 Barcelona: 5 Talking Points | UEFA Champions League 2019-20

Goals from Dries Mertens and Antoine Griezmann settled a keenly contested Champions League clash in Naples, ensuring that Napoli and Barcelona were not separated after 90 minutes.

The hosts have overcome their disastrous start to the campaign and came into the fixture on a good run of form, while Barcelona have also impressed recently and reclaimed top spot in LaLiga from Real Madrid over the weekend.

Given their pedigree, Barcelona were installed as heavy favourites in the tie and this much was evident, with Napoli content to sit back and try to catch the Catalans on the counter.

This worked excellently and they fashioned some notable chances in the first half, while also neutralizing the threat of Barcelona. Dries Mertens capped off an excellent team move with an even better finish to put his side ahead and draw level with former skipper Marek Hamsik as Napoli's record goalscorer.

The second half begun in the same fashion but Barcelona finally found a chink in the Pertenopei rearguard and Griezmann was on hand to score his second Champions League goal of the campaign when he stroked home a center by Nelson Semedo past David Ospina.

Despite this sucker punch, Napoli stuck to their gameplan and got another good chance after a lightning break but Jose Callejon wasted his second presentable opportunity of the night as he shot straight at Marc-Andre ter Stegen when through one-on-one.

From then on, it became something of a chess match with both sides canceling each other out, although tensions boiled over towards the end of the match.

The tie is firmly in the balance, with all to play for in the second leg and here, we shall be highlighting five talking points from the fixture.

#5 Napoli almost execute perfect gameplan

When Barcelona are in top form, there is almost no stopping them and few managers have the wherewithal to come up with tactics to stop them.

In the buildup to the game, Napoli coach Genaro Gattuso talked up the qualities of Lionel Messi and said despite his magical attributes, it was pointless and impossible trying to stop him and he would rather focus on the collective.

The former midfielder stuck true to his words and his selection and tactics on the night laid credence to his claims.

Rather than try to play Barcelona at their game, Gattuso recognized his side's limitations and selected players who could get the result for him, choosing Diego Demme over the more flamboyant and aesthetic Allan, while Piotr Zielinski and Fabian Rui completed the compact midfield three.

The trio gave a performance that their manager would have been proud of in his playing days, while Kostas Manolas acted as the defensive lynchpin in the absence of the ever-reliable Kalidou Koulibaly.

In what was almost a mirror image of the Liverpool-Atletico clash, Barcelona had all the possession but rarely troubled Ospina and failed to register a single shot on target in the first half.

However, sticking to such gameplan requires optimum concentration for 90 minutes and beyond but unlike Diego Simeone's side, Napoli slipped and Barcelona were on hand to take advantage in a heartbeat, with Griezmann's goal giving them a lifeline heading to Camp Nou.

#4 Barcelona's away knockout blues continues

SSC Napoli v FC Barcelona - UEFA Champions League Round of 16: First Leg

Barcelona have not won the Champions League since 2015 and while their infamous capitulations to AS Roma and Liverpool are well known, a less known fact is that the Blaugrana have been terrible away from home in the knockout rounds over the last few years.

Since defeating Arsenal 2-0 in the round-of-16 in 2016, Barcelona have won just one of their next nine away matches in the knockout round, with their narrow 1-0 victory over Manchester United last year the only reprieve in the last four years.

In this time, there have been heavy defeats to PSG and Juventus, in addition to the aforementioned duo, while another loss was also recorded at the Vicente Calderon to Atletico Madrid in the 2016 quarterfinal, with clashes against Lyon, Napoli, and Chelsea ending in stalemates in the round-of-16.

For context, Griezmann's 57th minute strike here meant that he became the first Barcelona player apart from Messi to score an away goal in the Champions League knockout stage since Neymar did so against Bayern in April 2015.

By contrast, their home form has been impeccable (Barca have not lost at Camp Nou in the Champions League since 2013) but in light of their recent eliminations, getting the job done away from home is imperative to continental success.

#3 Sergio Busquets suspended for the second leg

Coming into this fixture, Sergio Busquets was one of the players who were a yellow card away from suspension and one would have expected the Spanish international to thread on cautious waters but that was far from the case.

He escaped punishment for a number of rash tackles in the first half, with referee Felix Brych electing to give him warnings, much to the chagrin of the Napoli players and coaching staff.

However, the referee's warnings fell on deaf ears and just four minutes into the second half, he had to issue a yellow card to the midfielder for a studded stamp on Dries Mertens, ruling him out of the return fixture in Catalonia.

The 31-year-old is an integral part of the Barcelona team and his class once again shone through in Naples - his six interceptions more than anyone managed in the match, while he also instigated the attack that led to Barcelona's goal - and his absence in the second leg is a big blow for Quique Setien.

Beyond the midfielder, the LaLiga champions would also be sweating on the fitness of defender Gerard Pique who twisted his left ankle after landing awkwardly, while Napoli also saw goalscorer and star striker Dries Mertens substituted after failing to recover from the Busquets challenge.

#2 Vidal sees unnecessary red

Arturo Vidal's combustive personality means that he is always a ticking time bomb waiting to explode and we have seen traits of his tenacity throughout his career at sides like Bayern Munich and Juventus.

However, since arriving Barcelona, the Chilean international has mellowed down and is currently playing some of the best football of his career this season, with his advanced role leading to more goals and attacking returns.

The absence of Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele saw Vidal deployed in a front three alongside Messi and Griezmann and like most of his teammates, Napoli's effectiveness meant that he remained on the periphery of the game.

Perhaps the frustration got to him, leading to a rash challenge on Mario Rui late in the game and despite clearly hacking at the Spaniard and missing the ball, Vidal made light of the tackle and urged the Napoli man to get to his feet.

This prompted a scuffle between the two, leading the referee to issue both men a yellow card and coupled with the initial yellow for the tackle, it means that Vidal would now miss the return clash in Spain.

#1 Lionel Messi subdued

Fresh from playing a five-star role in the 5-0 demolition of Eibar over the weekend, Lionel Messi came into the clash with Napoli in confident mood and had the hopes of his clubs riding on his illustrious shoulders.

The Argentine international scored four goals on Saturday and even though Napoli's superior quality virtually ruled out another goalfest, Messi's extraterrestrial ability meant that a lot was still expected from him.

However, the Italians had other ideas and defended as a well-marshalled unit in a performance that the great Azurri sides of the past would have been proud of.

The Barcelona captain was denied time and space and even though he still managed to dribble his way out of tight situations, he was let down by uncharacteristic poor final passes and stray touches.

Camp Nou is very much Messi's fortress of solitude and while Napoli might have successfully curtailed his threat on the night, they still have to do so for another 90 minutes or more if they are to make a first ever quarterfinal appearance.