Osimhen Scores Two In Napoli’s Successful Opening To Title Defence

Osimhen scored 31 goals last season, including the goal that won the league championship, and he is in contract extension talks despite lucrative interest from foreign clubs.

With a brace in Saturday’s 3-1 victory at promoted Frosinone, Victor Osimhen picked up where he left off for Napoli, giving the champions a successful start to their Serie A championship defence.

Following the resignation of new Italy manager Luciano Spalletti, Nigerian striker Osimhen scored a goal in each half to guarantee that the champions rallied from behind to win in Rudi Garcia’s coaching debut.

Midway through the first half, Matteo Politano scored Napoli’s other goal to tie the score after Abdou Harroui had shockingly given the home team Frosinone an early lead from the penalty spot.

The importance of a strong beginning Osimhen told DAZN that “the opponent gave us a very hard time.”

Osimhen scored 31 goals last season, including the goal that won the league championship, and he is in contract extension talks despite lucrative interest from foreign clubs.

The president is in charge. Osimhen, whose current contract expires in June 2025, continued, “We are still in negotiations; perhaps at the end of the transfer window, we will see what happens.

But the most important thing right now is that I play for Napoli, and I will give my all to the squad.

Garcia didn’t have everything go his way at the Stadio Benito Stirpe, and he faces a difficult task in defending Napoli’s first title crown since 1990.

In the seventh minute, his team was down a goal when Harroui converted a penalty after a clumsy tackle by Jens Cajuste, who had a challenging debut.

When Cajuste kicked Jaime Baez instead of clearing the ball, he gave up the penalty kick after already knocking over a pitchside photographer with an errant pre-game shot.

When Politano pounced after confusion in the Frosinone box and slammed in a powerful left-footed shot that should have been blocked by the home custodian Stefano Turati, Napoli, who were playing without injured star winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, were level.

The successor for Kvaratskhelia Ten minutes before halftime, Giacomo Raspadori thought he had given Napoli the lead, but the goal was disallowed because unlucky Cajuste was offside early in the sequence.

But when Giovanni Di Lorenzo won the ball high up the pitch and feed Serie A’s leading scorer from the previous season, Osimhen couldn’t be stopped from smashing in his first of the year in the 42nd minute.

Baez attempted to challenge Napoli with a free kick in the 57th minute, but his effort struck the wall.

But with 11 minutes left, Osimhen, who had also fizzed a superb attempt just over the crossbar at the hour mark, calmly stroked past Turati after being played clear through by Di Lorenzo to secure the victory.

Later on Saturday, finalists in the Champions League Inter Milan open their season with a trip to Monza, while promoted Genoa plays Fiorentina in Mateo Retegui’s Serie A debut.

AFP