No Stopping Osimhen As Napoli Thrash Torino 4-0
- Nigerian striker takes tally past 20-goal mark
- Club inches closer to Series A title triumph
BY VICTOR OSOWOCHI – Nigerian in-form striker, Victor Osimhen has taken his tally to 21 goals in Serie A, scoring twice as Napoli thrashed Torino 4-0 on Sunday to further cement their stranglehold on top of the Italian league table.
Osimhen’s brace in Torino were both headed goals and his 11th strike in as many matches. He headed in Piotr Zielinski’s corner after just nine minutes before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia converted from the spot 10 minutes before the break for a 2-0 lead at halftime.
The Nigerian then became the first player to score over 20 goals in Serie A this season when he completed a brace of headed goals in a single match for the second time in 2023 after connecting well with Mathias Olivera’s floated ball six minutes after the break.
With 22 minutes of play remaining, the big centre forward outwitted two players to poke the ball into Kvaratskhelia’s path and the Georgia international, in turn, slid through to the onrushing Tanguy Ndombele to make it 4-0 on the night.
The victory puts Napoli 21 points clear at the Series A summit as they continue to march to their first title since 1990 with 12 games to go.
Clearly, the Super Eagles’ striker has been vital to Napoli’s title charge this season, overcoming an injury early in the season to return just at the right time.
The 24-year-old Osimhen has been too hot to handle, especially in the second half of the season, netting 15 goals in 2023, the same as Manchester City goal machine Erling Haaland, with only Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford (16) scoring more than him.
Though he has been scoring all kinds of goals, the Nigerian showed once more why he is the most dangerous player in the air currently with his headed brace, which took his tally in 2022-23 to 25 from 29 games in all competitions.
The Italian side is also challenging in the Champions League and will face Serie A rivals AC Milan in the quarter-final with Osimhen, who has four goals in the competition, likely to be central to their charge.
And next on line for the Napoli’s in-form striker is linking up with the Super Eagles squad for this month’s 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Guinea-Bissau. – With Goal.com reports
