Osimhen Back with a Bang as Napoli Reach Knockout Stage

Duro Ikhazuagbe 

Victor Osimhen returned from one-month long Injury lay-off yesterday to score as Napoli defeated Ajax 4-2 to reach the UEFA Champions League knockout stages with two games to spare.

The win was the Italian Serie A leaders’ 100 per cent start in this year’s competition. Luciano Spalletti’s side have four wins from four and a perfect 12 points at the top of Group A.

Osimhen started yesterday’s game from the bench barely four minute after the first half break and was an instant hit, drilling some powerful rings around the Ajax backline.

After Hirving Lozano (4th), Giacomo Raspadori (16th) and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (62nd) had given Napoli the 3-2 edge with Ajax desperately looking for an equaliser, Osimhen snatched the ball from Daley Blind inside the visitors’ box before tucking in the fourth goal in the 90th minute.

Sheer tenacity of the Nigerian forward earned the Naples based team that goal and he celebrated it massively by taking off his shirt and the facial mask. Of course, that earned him a booking.

Before that goal came, Osimhen had an effort chalked off for offside and then missed the target from point-blank range.

His Nigerian international teammate, Calvin Bassey contributed an assist in the goal scored by Davy Klaassen but was not enough to earn them a share of the three points at stake.

Nine points separate the Serie A leaders from third-placed Ajax, who can still make it through with two wins from their final two matches against Liverpool and Rangers.

RESULTS 

Napoli 4-2 Ajax

Atletico 0-0 C’Brugge

Rangers 1-7 Liverpool

Leverkusen 0-3 Porto

Barcelona 3-3 Inter 

V’Plzen 2-4 B’Munich

Sporting 0-2 Marseille 

Tottenham 3-2 E’Frankfurt