SERIE A
Osimhen’s Napoli troubles continue with Frosinone slip
![Osimhen And Lewandowksi Trade Goals As Napoli Draw 1-1 At Barcelona In 1st Leg Of CL Last 16 -](https://sportsvillagesquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Osimhen-And-Lewandowksi-Trade-Goals-As-Napoli-Draw-1-1-At.jpg)
The chances of Victor Osimhen’s Napoli to play in next season’s UEFA Champions League were dealt with a major blow Sunday after a 2-2 home draw in their Serie A match with struggling Frosinone.
Although Super Eagles forward, Victor Osimhen was on point with another superb goal, it was Walid Cheddira’s first brace in Italy’s top flight earned a point for Frosinone in Naples.
It left ailing Italian champions Napoli in eighth, six points behind fifth-placed Roma, who extended their advantage the in match against Udinese later last night.
Italian clubs’ strong performances in European football mean a top-five finish in Serie A is almost certain to gain a spot in the Champions League.
Napoli are increasingly unlikely to be among that group and were booed off the pitch at a sparsely-populated Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Francesco Calzona’s side looked set for sixth place when Victor Osimhen diverted home Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s mishit shot in the 63rd minute.
Instead, Cheddira, who had previously levelled Matteo Politano’s stunning early opener after the away side were gifted possession by Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret, headed home his second 10 minutes after Osimhen’s strike.
Frosinone stays just inside the bottom three and level on 27 points with 17th-placed Verona, who are outside the relegation zone on goal difference and face Atalanta on Monday.
Eusebio Di Francesco’s team deserved the draw from an eventful game in which Meret initially looked to be the hero after he saved Matias Soule’s penalty on the half-hour mark.
Frosinone has only won one league match since late November but successive draws with Genoa, fourth-placed Bologna and now Napoli have boosted their hopes of staying up.
Later Inter Milan host Cagliari at the San Siro, where a win will guarantee an opportunity to seal their 20th league title in the Milan derby on Monday week.
Inter are a whopping 14 points ahead of closest challengers AC Milan, who were at Sassuolo Sunday.
Beating Cagliari will ensure the derby will be a chance for Inter to claim the Scudetto regardless of how Milan does in their match.4
SERIE A
Ademola Lookman wins Atalanta’s ‘Player of The Season Award
![](https://sportsvillagesquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/ademola-lookman.jpg)
Nigeria’s Super Eagles winger and silver medal winner with the country at the last AFCON 2023 tournament in Cote D’Ivoire, Ademola Lookman, has emerged as the Atalanta Player of the Season.
The pint-size forward has won the converted award Back-to-back with the Bergamo-based side after his exploit in the domestic and European matches for the side.
Atalanta qualified for two finals with the Nigerian International playing an active role in the campaign.
He was instrumental to Atalanta winning the UEFA Europa League beating Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in the final with the Nigerian scoring all the goals.
The club announced on its official website on Thursday saying, “It’s him again, Ademola Lookman! The reigning champion defends his title and is crowned straight-a student for the second year in a row after staving off an unsparing competition, to the point of both bringing the contest to an overtime runoff and stepping the pose down up to the Instagram profile after the regular session ended in a tie. Kudos to Mola for his back-to-back Player of the Season!” it noted.
It went further that,” building on his 17 goals and 11 key passes in all competitions (making him the team’s second-best seasonal scorer and wingman) and with the hat-trick scored in the magical Dublin final as his main leg-up, Lookman tips the ItalianOptic branded crown once again,” the web remarked.
Aside from Ademola, the second and third-best positions were also announced as the midfield duo of Jose dos Santo Éderson and Teun Koopmeiners.
The Nigerian had a brilliant AFCON experience with Nigeria where he scored three goals and his exploits so far have put him in strong contention to win the next ‘African Footballer of the Year’ award which will come up before the end of the year at a venue yet to be announced by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen is the reigning winner of the award alongside Asissat Oshoola who retained the version.
SERIE A
Napoli reduces Victor Osimhen’s value
![](https://sportsvillagesquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Victor-Osimhen.jpg)
Former Serie A champions Napoli are reportedly ready to drop their asking price for Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen as his future grows ever more uncertain.
The 25-year-old is looking for a move away from Serie A but Napoli’s initial €150M release clause has warned off any potential suitors.
Quoting from another Italian outlet, Calciomercato, Getfootballnewsitaly reports that Napoli are ready to lower the initial valuation to €100M, in the hope that they can free up much needed transfer funds for new boss Antonio Conte, who is understood to be desperate to land Belgian international striker Romelu Lukaku this summer.
It is also stated that the English Premier League sides, Chelsea who were understood to be in pole-position to sign the Nigerian international, has never opened any negotiation with the 2023 Serie A champions.
The only avenues open at this time seem to be the Saudi Pro-League, where a reported salary of €40M a season has been offered, or Paris Saint-Germain, with Osimhen not keen on either option, preferring a move to the English Premier League.
SERIE A
Osimhen’s Napoli European hopes end with 0-0 draw against Lecce
![](https://sportsvillagesquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/osimhen.jpg)
If Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen remains in Napoli in the next season, he will not have any action in UEFA competitions.
Napoli lost their slim chances to participate in European competitions next season when they were held to a 0-0 home draw by Lecce in their last Serie A game of the campaign on Sunday.
Last season’s champions Napoli finished 10th on 53 points, level with ninth-placed Torino who were beaten 3-0 at Atalanta in a simultaneous kick off on Sunday.
Despite their loss, Torino can now still earn a Europa Conference League playoffs spot if eighth-placed Fiorentina, who have a game in hand, win the Europa Conference League.
Fiorentina face Greece’s Olympiacos for the title on Wednesday.
Napoli needed a win to maintain their European hopes but despite 24 shots, five of them on target, they ended their disappointing campaign winless in their last seven games.
Substitute Cyril Ngonge had a good chance to give Napoli the lead just after the break but his shot from the edge of the box was saved by Lecce goalkeeper Wladimiro Falcone.
Jens Cajuste hit the far post with a low strike shortly before Ngonge hit the bar in the 64th minute.
Europa League winners Atalanta, meanwhile, secured at least fourth spot after Gianluca Scamacca, Ademola Lookman and Mario Pasalic were all on target in a 3-0 win against Torino.
They sit fourth on 69 points but can still leapfrog third-placed Juventus, on 71 points, if they beat Fiorentina in their last remaining game next Sunday.
-Reuters
-
Nigerian Football1 week ago
I prefer a foreign coach for the Super Eagles, says Amaju
-
Olympics5 days ago
Brazilian women train in Zidane’s birthplace ahead of Nigeria Super Falcons clash
-
Premier League1 week ago
Nigerian-born Man United’s new striker promises creativity and unpredictability to fans
-
Olympics12 hours ago
This is my story: Odegbami on how he is stranded in London
-
Nigerian Football1 week ago
Osimhen’s outburst was a moment of madness, says Amaju
-
Olympics6 days ago
Teams plan for lack of toilets on Paris opening ceremony barges
-
OBITUARY1 day ago
BREAKING! Former Heartland FC owner, Iwuanyanwu, dies at 81
-
Olympics1 week ago
What you need to know about the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony