Osimhen bags hattrick to help Napoli destroy Sassuolo
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Osimhen scores hattrick in Napoli vs Sassuolo || Image credit: Imago

Osimhen bags hattrick to help Napoli destroy Sassuolo

Faruq Ibrahim 20:04 - 28.02.2024

Victor Osimhen's three goals and one assist helped Napoli thrash Sassuolo and return to Champions League contention.

Super Eagles ace Victor Osimhen went home with the match ball as he scored thrice in Napoli's 6-1 thrashing of Sassuolo.

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Francesco Calzona gets his first win as Napoli boss after consecutive draws against Barcelona and Cagliari. They clinched their first in spectacular fashion, running riot against a Sassuolo side also under managerial overturn.

How it happened

Despite having a bright start to the game, Napoli fell behind, conceding a well-placed shot from outside the box off the foot of former Valencia midfielder Uros Racic.

The Partenopeans had the right response and sustained wave after wave of attack against their hosts. Their efforts paid off in the 29th minute when Amir Rrahmani combined beautifully with Zambo Anguissa to restore parity.

Only two minutes later, Napoli went in front for the first time in the game with a similar finish to the first, but this time with different protagonists. Matteo Politano cut back beautifully to Osimhen, and the Nigerian redirected the ball towards and into the goal.

Politao set up Osimhen once again in the 41st minute to make it 3-1 for Napoli and two for the former Lille man, and only two minutes after returning from the break, Khivcha Kvarastskhelia set up the Nigerian for his third and Napoli’s fourth.

The Georgian had two well-taken strikes with either foot for the fifth and sixth goal, with Osimhen assisting the former, as Napoli went up to 40 points, five behind fifth-placed Atalanta.