- Napoli defeated Hatayspor 4-0 in a preseason friendly on Saturday
- Victor Osimhen and Giovanni Simeone both scored twice for Napoli
Victor Osimhen of the Super Eagles scored twice in Napoli’s preseason win over Hatayspor on Saturday at the Stadio Teofilo Patini.
Napoli defeated the Turkish side 4-0, with Giovanni Simeone also scoring twice.
Coach Rudi Garcia had to make do without injured Stanislav Lobotka, Eljif Elmas, and Mario Rui. Still, despite being brought in to continue Luciano Spalletti’s 4-3-3 formation, he went with a 4-2-3-1 system.
Before breaking the deadlock, Osimhen forced a desperate early save from Piotr Zielinski, whose high press caused an error, allowing Matteo Politano to send the Nigerian through.
The Capocannoniere added a second, sprinting onto the inspired Kvicha Kvaratskhelia through ball.
Mango Fernandes and Leo Ostigard came close, but Osimhen’s hat-trick was disallowed for offside.
Garcia changed all 11 Napoli players at the hour mark, effectively turning the game into two 60-minute halves.
Michael Folorunsho was fired up, and his strike was parried into the path of Karim Zedadka, who smacked the crossbar, but Cholito Simeone stole the show with his own brace.
The first came at the end of a series of charged-down attempts, after which the Argentine went on a solo run from midfield past two defenders before dinking it over the goalkeeper.
PSG to offer Osimhen N43bn
Victor Osimhen, the Nigerian and Napoli striker, is expected to earn €50 million (N43 billion) if he joins French giants Paris Saint-Germain during this transfer window.
Aurelio De Laurentiis, the owner of Napoli, expects a million-dollar offer for the player and believes PSG is the only club that can afford the Nigeria international.
Due to De Laurentiis’ high asking price, other top clubs such as Real Madrid, Manchester United, and Bayern Munich have withdrawn from negotiations for Osimhen.
Last week, it was reported that PSG had offered €120 million for Osimhen, which the Serie A champions had already rejected.