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Osimhen Regains Scoring Prowess, Scores Hat-trick To Fire Napoli At Sassuolo –
Victor Osimhen’s hat-trick helped Napoli thrash struggling Sassuolo 6-1 in Serie A on Wednesday, the Italian champions’ first win under caretaker coach Francesco Calzona.
Napoli, who appointed Calzona last week following the sacking of Walter Mazzarri, secured their first victory in four league games.
They are ninth in the standings with 40 points from 26 games, level with Lazio and eight behind Bologna in fourth.
“From the first training session these guys gave me their all. I saw total availability, desire to train and be together. This gave me hope,” Calzona told DAZN.
“We’ve been working together for a week and I’ve seen the team increase in intensity, high quality in training.”
Napoli started the match having earned 28 points fewer than last season after 25 games played, the worst ever record for an Italian champion team at this stage of their next campaign.
Hosts Sassuolo took the lead in the 17th minute through midfielder Uros Racic, who latched on to a poor clearance to score with a low shot into the corner of the net.
Amir Rrahmani levelled and Osimhen scored twice to put the visitors 3-1 up at halftime before the Nigerian striker completed his hat-trick soon after the break and winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia struck twice to complete the rout.
Rrahmani equalised for Napoli in the 29th minute with a powerful low shot past Sassuolo goalkeeper Andrea Consigli after being set up by a delightful flick from Cameroon midfielder Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa.
Osimhen put Napoli in front two minutes later as Giovanni Di Lorenzo sent another brilliant pass inside the area and Matteo Politano teed up the Nigerian with a clever backheel.
Osimhen made it 3-1 just before halftime, chipping the goalkeeper after another Politano cross.
Napoli outclassed their opponents and it was 4-1 to the visitors two minutes into the second half when Osimhen completed his hat-trick following a Sassuolo defensive error.
With his 11th league goal of the season, Osimhen became only the third Napoli player to reach double goal figures in four consecutive campaigns after Diego Maradona and Attila Sallustro.
Kvaratskhelia made it 5-1 following a solo run in the 51st minute before completing the rout with a stunning shot on a rebound 15 minutes from time.
Sassuolo, who on Sunday fired coach Alessio Dionisi after suffering their seventh loss in 10 league games, are 18th with 20 points.
They and Salernitana are the only sides who have not yet won a match in the second part of the 2023-24 Serie A season.
-Reuters
No fewer than five clubs in the Nigeria Premier League will be eliminated this week from the President Federation Cup.
At the moment, 11 of the 17 premier league clubs are on course as the knock-out competition gets to the Round of 32.
Undoubtedly, the non-application of seeding has seen five fixtures pitching the top clubs together while another five pitched lower division clubs against one another.
The remaining six pairings have premier league clubs facing lower ranked teams. These include: relegation-threatened Akwa United facing Zamfara United in Abuja and Gombe United facing former top division sides, El-Kanemi Warriors in Kaduna.
Another ‘mixed fixture’ will see Premier sides, Kwara United facing Warri Wolves while Abia Warriors will face Sporting Supreme of the FCT.
Premier sides, Bendel Insurance will face Wikki Tourists of Bauchi as Enyimba are pitched against Akwa Ibom’s FC Rockets.
But nothing is guaranteed to the Premier League sides as knockout competitions are replete with underdogs upstaging power houses.
No matter the situations, five of the Premier League are doomed for elimination. Former champions Lobi Stars and Shooting Stars in a “Star War” in Awka.
Plateau United and Sunshine Stars are meeting in Abuja just as Rivers United will face fellow Premier League sides, Niger Tornadoes in Auchi.
Katsina United and Bayelsa United will play in Abuja while Doma United face Kano Pillars in Bauchi.
MEN’S ROUND OF 32 FIXTURES
Bendel Insurance (Edo) Vs Wikki Tourists (Bauchi) – Abuja Area 3 – 22/05/24 – 4pm
EFCC FC (FCT) Vs Edel FC (Anambra) – Ilorin – 22/05/24 – 4pm
ABS FC (Kwara) Vs Kebbi United (Kebbi) – Abuja Goal Project – 23/05/24 – 4pm
Akwa United (Akwa Ibom) Vs Zamfara United Feeders (Zamfara) – Abuja Bwari – 23/05/24 – 4pm
Gombe United (Gombe) Vs El-Kanemi Warriors (Borno) – Kaduna – 22/05/24 – 4pm
Lobi Stars (Benue) Vs Shooting Stars (Oyo) – Awka – 22/05/24 – 4pm
Ikorodu City (Lagos) Vs Coal City (Enugu) – Benin City – 23/05/24 – 4pm
Hammola Int’l (Osun) Vs Inter Lagos (Lagos) – Ibadan – 22/05/24 – 4pm
Warri Wolves (Delta) Vs Kwara United (Kwara) – Enugu – 22/05/24 – 4pm
Abia Warriors (Abia) Vs Sporting Supreme (FCT) – Benin City – 22/05/24 – 4pm
Nasarawa United (Nasarawa) Vs Sokoto United (Sokoto) – Kano – 22/05/24 – 4pm
FC One Rocket (Akwa Ibom) Vs Enyimba FC (Abia) – Yenagoa – 22/05/24 – 4pm
Plateau United (Plateau) Vs Sunshine Stars (Ondo) – Abuja Goal Project – 22/05/24 – 4pm
Rivers United (Rivers) Vs Niger Tornadoes (Niger) – Auchi – 22/05/24 – 4pm
Katsina United (Katsina) Vs Bayelsa United (Bayelsa) – Abuja Bwari – 22/05/24 – 4pm
Doma United (Gombe) Vs Kano Pillars (Kano) – Bauchi – 22/05/24 – 4pm
Banyana Banyana game plan was to either beat the Super Falcons at home as they did two years ago in Lagos or earn a draw in Friday’s first leg match of Olympic qualifier in Abuja.
That did not happen as Rasheedat Ajibade’s penalty kick earned Nigeria an outright 1-0 win over South Africa – a first win since the Super Falcons’ 1-0 win in Limbe, Cameroon in 2016.
But according to an account in the South African Football Association website, “Banyana Banyana will have to give it all in the second leg.”
It reported that Banyana Banyana came back from the first half break a much more improved side but failed to convert the few chances that came their way.
“Outstanding goalkeeper Kaylin Swart had to work overtime to deny the hosts from extending their lead.
“Despite creating numerous chances for an equaliser, the game ended 1-0 for the Super Falcons.”
The two African giants will lock horns for the second leg on Tuesday at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria where coach Desiree Ellis’ charges will be hoping to overturn the deficit.
Coach Ellis believes they are still in the game and can turn things around in the second leg on Tuesday.
“Look, we said it was going to be a tight game but we are hopeful of overturning this result in the second leg.”
“We are still in the game. We created a couple of chances, a penalty decided the match but the game is not over.
“I thought in the second half we raised our game a lot and created good chances and could have equalized.
“Maybe we could also have gotten a penalty at the end when Jermaine was fouled but I’m very proud of the team and we will take it back to Pretoria,” said Ellis.
Nigeria’s Super Falcons beat Banyana Banyana of South Africa 1-0 in their first leg of the final qualifiers for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The return leg comes up on Tuesday in Pretoria.
The South Africans consider the result a good one going into the final qualifier.
Skipper of the side, Rasheedat Ajibade scored the lone goal from a penalty spot in the 43rd minute.
It is Nigeria’s first outright defeat of South Africa since 2018 when Nigeria excelled in an ensuing penalty shootout after a goalless draw in the final match of the Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana.
In their next two matches.
First, they pulled off a big upset beating Nigeria 4-2 to win the Aisha Buhari Cup in Lagos in September 2021 and followed up with another 2-1 win in a Group C match at the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
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