Napoli entered Wednesday’s game following a four-match winless streak, having drawn three consecutive games. New coach Francesco Calzona was still seeking his first win since taking charge of the club.
Prior to Wednesday’s game, Victor Osimhen had scored eight Serie A goals.
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 he was also unavailable for selection for a month due to the Nations Cup.
It appeared that Napoli‘s troubles were set to persist as Sassuolo opened the scoring through Uros Racic just after the 15-minute mark.
However, things didn’t go well for the hosts as they conceded three times in the first half, with Amir Rrahmani scoring the equalizer and Victor Osimhen netting twice to give Napoli the lead.
The Super Eagles player continued his impressive form in the second half, finding the net just two minutes after the break.
He also set up Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s goal, widening Napoli’s lead to four goals.
Victor Osimhen was substituted just after the 75-minute mark, with Napoli holding a commanding 6-1 lead. By that point in the match, Osimhen had contributed to four of Napoli’s goals, scoring three times and providing an assist.
On Wednesday, the 25-year-old registered a total of five shots. Three of those shots were on target, one was blocked, and one was off target.
Victor Osimhen classy hatrick night
Super Eagles forward Victor Osimhen showcased a man-of-the-match performance as Napoli completed a comeback against Sassuolo on Wednesday evening.
The 25-year-old found the back of the net three times, extending his scoring streak to three matches. Remarkably, he has scored in every game since his return from the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2024).
According to Eurofoot, Osihmen was given a rate of 9.6 out of 10, one of the highest rating given to any player in Europe this season.
With that being said, Osimhen was joint 15th in the race for the Golden Boot. However, due to his hat-trick on Wednesday, the African Footballer of the Year has now surged all the way up to fourth place.
Osimhen is now just one goal behind third-placed Olivier Giroud, trailing four goals behind Dusan Vlahovic, and 11 goals behind Lautaro Martinez in the race for the coveted top scorer award.
As it stands, the Super Eagles star has been directly involved in 14 goals (11 goals, three assists) in 15 league matches, which is indeed impressive.
