Osimhen silences critics as Napoli trounce Juventus
Super Eagles striker contributes to three goals in statement win
Victor Osimhen scored a brace for Napoli as they thrashed Juventus 5-1 to open up a ten-point gap atop the standings. The Partenopei delivered a vintage performance to dispatch their in-form rivals and strengthen their title push.
Juventus were on a run of eight wins and eight clean sheets heading into the game against a Napoli side that defeated Sampdoria in their last game.
Napoli needed only 14 minutes to breach the Bianconeri’s backline that had held firm for eight matches. A cross from Matteo Politano was met with an acrobatic effort from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, forcing Wojciech Szczesny into a fine parry. Osimhen was on hand to pounce, heading the ball into the unguarded net for his 11th goal of the campaign.
The Partenopei doubled their advantage in the 39th minute after Osimhen shrugged off Gleison Bremer and latched onto a long ball from Politano. The striker then showed good awareness to square the ball to Kvaratskhelia, who curled the ball into the bottom corner.
Juventus halved the deficit with half-time nearing as Angel Di Maria curled home from inside the box after a layoff from Arkadiusz Milik following slack defending from Napoli.
Napoli turned on the style in the second half as they restored their two-goal advantage in the 55th minute. A corner from Kvaratskhelia was met with a thunderous half-volley by Amir Rrahmani to score their third.
Osimhen scored his second of the night in the 65th minute after more good work from Kvaratskhelia out wide. The Georgian winger played a pinpoint cross into the box for the towering striker to head home his 12th goal in 14 Serie A appearances for Napoli this season.
Not done with scoring, Napoli added a fifth in the 72nd minute after an impressive team move. Captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo passed the ball to Eljif Elmas, who showed great composure to cut inside his marker before firing home via a deflection from Alex Sandro for his second goal in as many games.
Osimhen backed up his words after his side’s win over Sampdoria with a dominant performance for his side and scored his first career goals against Juventus. The striker helped his side open up a healthy ten-point gap atop the Serie A standings.
