Osimhen Double Fires Napoli Top of Serie A

Agency Report/

Victor Osimhen scored twice as Napoli crushed Sampdoria, 4-0, on Thursday to remain perfect in Serie A and return to the top of the table.

Visiting Napoli rode their luck in the first 35 minutes in Genoa.

After 11 minutes home goalkeeper Emil Audero was fooled when Osimhen mishit a close range volley and had already fallen back across the goal line by the time the softly-struck ball floated into his grasp.

Sampdoria responded by besieging the Napoli goal, but David Ospina foiled a series of incisive attacks with a string of acrobatic saves.

Napoli took control after 39 minutes when Fabian Ruiz passed the ball into the corner of Audero’s goal from 20 metres.

Osimhen added a second after 50 minutes, running onto Hirving Lozano’s low cross from the right and drilling the ball home from the edge of the six-yard box.

Piot Zielinski added a carbon copy goal nine minutes later as he met a low Lozano pullback with a crisp shot.

Osimhen could have had more. He had a strike late in the first half ruled out for offside and later dragged his shot wide when one-on-one with Audero.

The victory took Napoli back to the top of the table with 15 points from their first five league games under Luciano Spalletti. 

They moved two ahead of champions Inter Milan, who won 3-1 at Fiorentina on Tuesday, and AC Milan, who beat Venezia on Wednesday.

Sampdoria dropped to 13th, slipping behind Juventus on goal difference.

In the other early game, penalty specialist Ciro Immobile snatched a point for Lazio at Torino with a 91st-minute spot kick.

Marko Pjaca gave Torino the lead in the 76th minute with a crisp header.

As the game entered added time, Koffi Djidji caught Vedat Muriqi with a clumsy challenge. Immobile rolled in the penalty for his league-leading sixth goal of the season to secure a 1-1 draw.

*AFP

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