Super Eagles forward Victor Osimhen put up a man-of-the-match performance as Napoli completed a comeback against Sassuolo on Wednesday evening.
The 25-year-old got on the scoresheet thrice, extending his scoring streak to three matches. He has scored in every single game since he returned from the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2024).
Victor Osimhen’s hat-trick sinks Sassuolo
Napoli came into Wednesday’s game after a four-match winless streak. They had drawn three consecutive games, and new coach Francesco Calzona was still hunting for his first win since he took charge of the club.
It looked like the Partenopei’s woes were about to continue as Sassuolo opened the scoring through Uros Racic just after the 15 minute mark.
However, things didn’t turn out too well for the hosts, as they conceded three times in the first half, thanks Amir Rrahmani’s equaliser and a brace by Osimhen.
The Super Eagles player picked up where he left off in the second half, finding the net just two minutes into the half.
He also set up Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s goal, widening Napoli’s lead to four goals.
Victor Osimhen was taken off just after the 75-minute mark, while Napoli had a 6-1 lead.
Victor Osimhen’s stats vs Sassuolo
In 75 minutes of play, Victor Osimhen contributed to four of Napoli’s goals, scoring three times with an assist.
The 25-year-old registered five total shots on Wednesday. Three of those went on target, one was blocked and one was off target.
It’s even more impressive considering Osimhen had just 14 touches of the ball. He completed four of five (80%) passes and lost possession on three occasions.
Also, the Super Eagles player was 0 for 2 in ground duels, and was flagged offside twice.
Where does Osimhen rank in the race to the Serie A Golden Boot?
Prior to Wednesday’s game, Victor Osimhen had eight Serie A goals to his name.
To be fair, the Super Eagles striker was absent for over two months. He was sidelined with an injury for almost six weeks in October last year, and was also unavailable for selection for a month due to the Nations Cup.
With that being said, Osimhen was joint 15th in the race to the Golden Boot. However, due to his hat-trick on Wednesday, the African Footballer of the Year has gone all the way up to fourth.
Osimhen is now a goal behind third-placed Olivier Giroud, four goals behind Dusan Vlahovic and 11 goals behind Lautaro Martinez in the race to the coveted top scorer award.
As it stands, the Super Eagles star has 14 direct goal involvements (11 goals, three assists) in 15 league matches, which is pretty impressive.
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