The Nigeria international was at his goalscoring best for the Neapolitans and was equally in the mood to render free services to their opponents
Victor Osimhen was at the centre of some of the most eye-catching highlights as Napoli demolished Sassuolo in their Serie A clash on Wednesday, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Super Eagles forward netted a hat-trick to power Napoli to a 6-1 victory over Sassuolo at the MAPEI Stadium – Città del Tricolore in Reggio Emilia.
Sassuolo and Napoli traded early goals before Osimhen got his first of the night with an expert finish in the 31st minute to make it 2-1 for the Scudetto winners.
It was, however, observed shortly after Osimhen’s goal that a portion of the net that Sassuolo goalkeeper Andrea Consigli was guarding had ripped off the crossbar.
The referee paused the game and requested that a masking tape be provided with which the net could be fixed to the large horizontal metal rod again.
When the tape arrived, goalkeeper Andrea Consigli, boasting a good 1.89m in height, was the best candidate to get the job done.
But Osimhen, who is not a short man by any means at 1.85m, took it upon himself to tape the net firmly back to the body of the crossbar.
The Super Eagles striker did a good job of it, and play resumed immediately after.
Is there anything Victor Osimhen can’t do 💪 pic.twitter.com/cIkSv7QCDc
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) February 28, 2024
However, Osimhen showed no pity for the plight of the Italian goalie barely five minutes later when he clipped home his second goal of the game and Napoli’s third of the night.
Moments into the second half, Osimhen bagged his hat-trick following a terrible defensive error from Sassuolo to add more misery on 37-year-old Andrea Consigli.
Osimhen has now scored in his last three games for Napoli since returning from the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, where he helped Nigeria win a silver medal.
The 25-year-old striker found the net for Napoli in their 1-1 draw with Barcelona in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League knockout round tie.
He was also on target at the weekend as Napoli and Cagliari settled for a 1-1 draw.
This season, Osimhen’s goal tally has increased to 11, making it the fourth consecutive year he would hit double-digit goals for the Neapolitans.
Only the legendary Diego Maradona and Attila Sallustro have ever managed such a feat in Napoli’s history.