Barcelona v Napoli player ratings: Pedri 8, Torres 5; Zielinski 8, Insigne 5

A Ferran Torres penalty rescued Barcelona on Thursday as the Spanish side drew 1-1 with Napoli in the Europa League last-32 first-leg at Camp Nou.

Barca were making their first appearance in the competition in 18 years after their early exit from the Champions League.

And things were looking grim for Xavi Hernandez's side when Piotr Zielinski put the Serie A side ahead at the second attempt in the 29th minute after Marc-Andre ter Stegen had saved his initial shot.

But Barcelona were awarded a dubious penalty in the second half following a VAR intervention after Adama Traore's cross hit Juan Jesus' hand from close range. Torres stepped up to send goalkeeper Alex Meret the wrong way.

The goal would have provided the former Manchester City striker with some relief after a disastrous night in front of goal when he spurned numerous chances to put Barca firmly in the driving seat ahead of the next game in Naples.

Ex-Arsenal attacker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had a quiet game as he made his first start for Barcelona who failed to make their second-half pressure count.

“They got into our area once or twice and they scored a goal, we had a lot of chances,” said Barcelona skipper Gerard Pique.

“The feeling is good, the result not so much. Everything remains open. It was a great match against a high-level opponent.

“The result is not satisfactory, we would have liked to have had a bigger advantage for the return match.”

The two sides meet again in Italy for the second leg on February 24.

You can see the player ratings from the game on Thursday in the gallery above. To view the next image, click on the arrows or swipe if on a mobile device.