Super Eagles star striker Victor Osimhen was one of the outstanding players for Napoli who came back from a goal down to beat Fiorentina 2-1 away and maintain their perfect start, Completesports.com reports.
Osimhen and his Napoli teammates had a 100 per cent Serie A record after six rounds, but were coming off their first defeat of the season in the Europa League to Spartak Moscow.
Sunday’s win against Fiorentina means Napoli extend their lead over Inter Milan to four points as they are now on 21.
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Fiorentina took the lead on 28 minutes when Dusan Vlahovic peeled away from Fabian Ruiz to knock down a corner for Lucas Martinez-Quarta to volley from eight yards.
Napoli got back into the game when Osimhen ran onto a long ball and was bundled over by Martinez-Quarta with the referee awarding Luciano Spalletti’s men.
Lorenzo Insigne stepped up and saw his penalty parried by Dragowski but Hirving Lozano turned in at the third time of asking past a desperately frustrated goalkeeper to make it 1-1 on 39 minutes.
Osimhen almost got a spectacular second on the stroke of half-time, a bicycle-kick only a yard wide of the upright.
A Vlahovic volley was charged down from a corner, but Napoli turned the game around completely with a free kick routine to go 2-1 ahead in the 50th minute.
Piotr Zielinski pretended to walk away, only to then run up and dink it over the top for Amir Rrahmani’s diving header at the back post.
Osimhen hit the side-netting, but Fiorentina forced practically a goal-line clearance from Fabian Ruiz as Nikola Milenkovic knocked the corner back from the by-line.
Vlahovic hit a fresh-air shot when Nico Gonzalez squared a promising assist and Alvaro Odriozola tested Ospina, but Eljif Elmas also came sliding in a fraction too late to meet the Osimhen roll across.
By James Agberebi
7 Comments
Victor is an enigma. He will be the reason Napoli wins the league this season if they eventually do. Awesome performance on the night. His exquisite bicycle kick towards the end of the first half would have made the list of nominations for the FIFA Puskas Award this year.
Meanwhile,
livetotal.tv/c/football/netherlands-eredivisie/03-10-2021/psv-eindhoven-vs-sparta/2/
Im currently watching two young Nigerian goalkeepers Maduka and Adelye doing their stuff. Both of them showing so much potentials. Its 36 minutes in Eindhoven and Maduka has made 5 breath taking saves already. Adeleye too has kept his team in the game 2ce as the 2nd half is already on.
If and only if we can exercise patience with these kids and let them evolve instead of destiny killers using their evil tongues to ruin them because of parochial sentiments.
hesgoal.com/news/88460/Maccabi_Tel_Aviv_vs_Hapoel_Jerusalem.html
Absolutely true @ Drey, coincidentally,I am right here doing same, having being a bit concerned about our goal-keeping department. Must admit, I have being really impressed by both Okoye and Adeleye’s perfeormances in todays game. Like you rightly said, we should just show these young lads a little bit of patience. Also, we must try extend invitation to this Adeleye guy, as that will only encourage him to maintain his good performances.
Well said Glory. You always hit the nail on its head.
Adeleye’s invitation is only a matter of time. Even before anybody on this forum knew him, the coach himself had sounded his name about 2 seasons ago about a young Nigerian goalkeeper in the Isreali 2nd division. So he is FIRMLY within the sights of the coach. But im sure the same vultures who are crowing now would have crowed if he had extended invitation to a lower division goalkeeper, the same way they crowed about Okoye’s invitation back then too.
Ironically, Rohr has shown to be one who is not shy of dropping whoever was in goal during qualifiers for a “better” goalie for tournament proper when they all meet to battle it out at pre-tournament camps. Akpeyi and Ezenwa made way for Uzoho for the 2018 WC. Uzoho made way too for Akpeyi for the 2019 AFCON. Definitely more than 3 goalkeepers will be called up for pre 2022 AFCON preparations, and the money is on Adeleye to be invited.
However, our best bet is still on Okoye. Its one thing to watch youtube compilation of the best 2 or 3 games of a footballer and pass judgement, its another thing to watch them play live week in week out. We will be shocked to be back on the same learning curve we dont want to tolerate from okoye by the time Adeleye get his chances too. The boy is just getting his first baptism of fire playing in the elite division for the 1st time in his career, keeping goal behind an ultra-defensive team that is yet to score a single goal in the 1st division this season.
Lets let these kids evolve otherwise we will ruin their careers even before it takes off. Goalkeeping is not a day’s job….not even a year’s job.
Osimhen couldn’t score today because fiorentina was trying to kill him. So many times Osimhen embarrassed the team with his pace and one on one situations they end up trying to injure him
I remember reading someone’s comment on youtube saying napoli had easy games fiorentina are a tough team. They knew Osimhen was a threat and tried to eliminate him, that’s what awarded the penalty kick because of Osimhens pace, just like how Godin of cagliari got destroyed by Osimhen
“SERIE A: Osimhen Shines In Napoli’s Comeback Win At Fiorentina”
This is the first time a Nigerian striker did not score in a match and your headline actually turn out to be positive usually your headlines goes something like this, ” Osimhem shoots blank in Napoli’s 2:1 win over Fiorentina. That’s not good journalism to write stuff like that, it makes you sound like a joke. You have to be objective in your writing and avoid those kind of phrases.
Osimhen always has his say whenever he plays so far. Either he scores or creates goal scoring opportunities.
He was very good in this match, created opportunities for his teammates, had some opportunities himself, troubled the defence. Napoli will really miss him come January. I just hope they have plans to get a quality backup for Osimhen this season because he cant play all the games for them. I suggest Sadiq umar, he isn’t that expensive and he is a like for like player.