Nigerian international, Victor Osimhen has seen a barrage of criticism directed towards him by a segment of the Italian media in the aftermath of Napoli’s 1-2 defeat against Lazio during a Serie A clash on Matchday 3.
Africa Today News, New York reports that Napoli, who unbeaten in Serie A before that game, stumbled at home to Lazio in a match that saw Osimhen unable to find the net.
Luis Alberto and Daichi Kamada were the goalscorers for Lazio, securing a 2-1 victory at the Diego Maradona Stadium, while Napoli’s sole response came courtesy of Piotr Zielinski’s long-range strike.
Osimhen found himself struggling to make an impact as Lazio’s central defense, consisting of Alessio Romagnoli and Nicolo Casale, effectively neutralized him.
Despite this, the Super Eagles striker made several notable contributions, attempting five shots, two of which were blocked, creating three key passes, winning four duels, and maintaining a 71% pass accuracy.
Sofascore rated his performance at an impressive 7.2, with only goalscorer Zielinski surpassing him in the Napoli lineup.
Nevertheless, certain Italian newspapers were scathing in their assessment of Osimhen in the wake of the match, as per Tutto Napoli.
“He is the symbol of Napoli’s negative evening,” wrote Corriere dello Sport.
Tuttosport referred to him as ‘the masked man who remains in the dark.’
Gazzetta dello Sport highlighted his errors in front of the goal, while TMW praised his commitment but criticized his effectiveness in front of the net.
Africa Today News, New York reports that despite this criticism, Osimhen remains Napoli’s leading goalscorer this season, with three goals from three games. His tally is second only to AC Milan’s Olivier Giroud, who has scored four goals.
Osimhen and Napoli will have an opportunity to bounce back from this setback after the international break when they travel to face Genoa on September 16.