Victor Osimhen grabbed his 10th Serie A goal of the season for Napoli in their 2-0 win over 10-man Fiorentina at the Artemio Franchi Stadium on Sunday, bouncing back from their 1-0 defeat at the hands of Inter Milan in mid week.
Matteo Politano had the opportunity to put the leaders in front in the sixth minute from the penalty spot but his effort was saved by Emil Audero. After the missed opportunity, Osimhen scored the opener for the Partenopei in the 19th minute while Eljif Elmas put the game beyond the hosts from the penalty spot in the 82nd minute.
The win sees Napoli extend their lead over second placed Juventus by seven points. Both sides would clash on Friday at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium where Napoli would be hoping to gain the maximum points that will see them go 10 points past the Turin side.
Reacting to the victory, the 24-year-old says he’s delighted for the team and how they bounced back from the loss to Inter while looking forward to the game against Juventus on Friday.
“I congratulate the team. We didn’t do well at San Siro, today we did. I’m happy with the goal and the victory against a team like Sampdoria that deserves respect. I thank Spalletti for the trust and motivation. I feel like a leader, I try to talk a lot with my teammates. Juventus? It will be a great match, we will prepare ourselves in the best possible way. We have to continue like this,” Osimhen said after the win.
With his 10th goal of the season, Osimhen became the second African player to score 10+ goals in three different Serie A seasons, after George Weah with Milan (1995/96; 1996/97 and 1997/98). The Nigerian scored 10 goals in 24 league games in his first season in the league while scoring 14 in 27 games in his second season. He would be hoping to break his 14-goal-high tally this season having scored 10 goals so far in just 13 league appearances.
He is currently top of the Serie A top scorers list.