Victor Osimhen was decisive to get Napoli back to winning ways in the Serie A with a towering header and a spectacular assist for Kvicha Kvaratskhelia against Cagliari on Saturday, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The Partenopei secured their place in the Champions League Round of 16, but had lost back-to-back Serie A games, so needed a boost. Napoli wore black armbands and there was a minute’s silence for former captain and director Antonio Juliano, who died this week at the age of 80.
Kvaratskhelia’s cross from the left was just beyond Victor Osimhen at the back post, then the Nigerian tested Simone Scuffet at the near post.
Edoardo Goldaniga twice got himself in the way of Osimhen finishes inside the box, while Cagliari threatened with a Tommaso Augello strike from the edge of the area that was deflected just wide off Giovanni Di Lorenzo.
The deadlock was finally broken when Mario Rui on his comeback from injury whipped in a cross from the left for the towering Osimhen header from six yards. Scuffet did all he could by parrying it from point-blank range onto the upright, but it ricocheted back in.
The game suddenly sprung to life, as moments later Cagliari equalised when substitute Zito Luvumbo got down the left and pulled a taut ball across the six-yard box where Leonardo Pavoletti used his experience to shake off Juan Jesus and turn in from close range.
Napoli restored their advantage with extraordinary work from the Nigeria international, who drew six players around him as he juggled with his chest and knee with his back to goal, managed to turn and get the pass back to Kvaratskhelia to fire in relatively undisturbed at the far post.
Politano had the ball in the net too on 82 minutes, but it was disallowed because Osimhen was considered to be in an offside position interfering with play.
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