Super Eagles forward Victor Osimhen proved his worth once again on Wednesday night as he scored to help Napoli claim a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Barcelona in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 clash.
Osimhen failed to feature for the Serie A Champions this past weekend after returning from the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, Footballrover reports.
The Super Eagles star was forced to miss Napoli’s match against Genoa.
But the Nigerian international made his way back into the team for Napoli’s match against Barcelona at the Diego Maradona Stadium.
The Italian side had a terrible first half, with Osimhen mostly frustrated up front and unable to find his footing.
Within the first thirty minutes, Ilkay Gundogan and Lamine Yamal both pressured Alex Meret into impressive saves.
Napoli, on the other hand, provided little for their striker Victor Osimhen, who was primarily deprived of openings by the well-organised Barca centre-backs, with the game ending goalless in the first half.
After the interval, Lewandowski overturned a deadlock after a well-controlled pass from Pedri as he calmly avoided Napoli’s pressure and buried the ball in the bottom corner.
However, the African footballer of the year, Osimhen, was not to be left out; he levelled the score by dribbling past Marc-Andre ter Stegen after he had twisted Inigo Martinez off his way earlier.
VICTOR OSIMHEN SCORES AGAINST BARCELONA ????
Gotten his groove back ???????? pic.twitter.com/BIgTJE2ShJ
— Soar Super Eagles (@SSE_NGA) February 21, 2024
The 25-year-old Nigerian forward could only feature for just 77 minutes, as he was pulled off the pitch as soon as he scored.
In the last moments of the match, the La Liga giants held on while Napoli squandered many half-chances to score what could have been vital heading into the second leg in Spain.
Rather, the two teams battled to a draw at the end of the final whistle.
There is still a lot to play for in the second leg of the match since the game ultimately finished 1-1.
Be the first to comment on "Victor Osimhen Proves his Worth as Napoli Hold Barca to Hard-Fought Draw"