Sport

UCL: Osimhen raring to go against Madrid – Napoli Captain

By Web News 566

Napoli captain, Giovanni Di Lorenzo has affirmed that Victor Osimhen will give his best for the team tomorrow and can help Napoli defeat Real Madrid.

The Partenopei will host the La Liga giants tomorrow (Tuesday) for the second round of the UEFA Champions League group stage fixtures, and the captain says Osimhen is in great shape to beat Madrid’s defense.

Speaking to pressmen ahead of tomorrow’s clash, Di Lorenzo stated that Osimhen’s desire to succeed at the club has not changed.

He said, “Nothing has changed for us. His relationships inside the dressing room, his behaviour, and his desire to give the best for this team have not changed.

“He is always available for his teammates, as you saw in the game [against Lecce]. To us, he is the same Osimhen. A great player who gives his best and will continue doing the same tomorrow.”

The Nigerian international is gradually leaving the past behind him, as he was involved in a series of controversies with the club in the past two weeks.

He suffered a three-game goal drought, failed to convert from the spot kick, and thereafter ‘threatened’ to take legal action against the club for posting a mockery video of him on their TikTok platform.

However, the 24-year-old responded with a goal against Udinese last week and extended his streak against Leece on Saturday.

Vanguard/Simeon Ugbodovon

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Sport

Osimhen Hits Hat-trick as Super Eagles Thump Sao Tome 6-0

By Web News 472

By Oluwakayode Banjo

Napoli star striker and Ballon d’Or nominee, Victor Osimhen bagged a hat-trick as Super Eagles of Nigeria demolished Sao Tome and Principe 6-0 in their 2024 African cup of Nations, Afcon qualifiers.

The match played yesterday at the Godswill Akpabio stadium, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, saw the Super Eagles dominate the game from kick off till the final whistle.

Osimhen opened the scoring with a header in the 14th minute, before Ademola Lookman made it 2-0 in the 27th minute.

Nottingham Forest In-form striker Taiwo Awoniyi made it 3 in the 51st minute, before Osimhen scored again in the 69th and 79th minutes to make it 5.

Substitute Samuel Chukwueze rounded up the scoring with a 84th minute cool finish as the game ended 6-0.

It would be recalled that in the reverse fixture, Nigeria thrashed Sao Tome and Principe 10-0, a record victory for the Jose Peseiro boys.

Nigeria, who had already qualified before the game, have 15 points and will now finish top of Group A.

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Foreign

Football Nails Dangerous Fugitive Evading Justice for 11 Years

By Web News 300

One of Italy’s most dangerous fugitives has been caught in Greece after a photo of him cheering on his football team gave away his whereabouts.

Vincenzo La Porta, 60, is thought to have close ties to the Camorra organised crime gang in Naples.

He has been on the run for 11 years – but earlier this year was spotted in a photo of fans celebrating in Greece.

The Naples Carabinieri police said: “What betrayed him was his passion for football and for the Napoli.”

Officers said the photos were taken after Napoli won its first Italian championship in over three decades earlier this year.

“With the championship victory, La Porta couldn’t resist celebrating,” police said.

La Porta has already been convicted in absentia in Italy for criminal association, tax evasion and fraud.

Police finally arrested him on Friday while he was riding his moped on the Greek island of Corfu and he is now currently in a jail awaiting extradition to Italy.

If he is extradited to Italy, he is due serve a prison sentence of 14 years and four months.

La Porta’s lawyer told AP news agency: “He has started a new family in Greece… He has a nine-year-old boy and is working as a cook to get by. He suffers from heart ailments. If he’s extradited, he and his family will be ruined.”

The authorities were relentless in their pursuit of La Porta, tracking his financial and online movements closely and “waited for him to make a misstep”.

Back in May, La Porta could not contain his excitement when Napoli won its first Serie A title after 33 years.

The police spotted him in a photo outside a Corfu restaurant among Napoli fans donning a baseball cap and waving the team’s sky blue and white colours.

The investigators knew they had their man and followed him to Greece.

With a little help from their Greek colleagues, they arrested him on Friday, the Greek police said.

In January, this year, an Italian mafia boss who was on the run for decades was arrested after a Google Maps sighting.

BBC/Simeon Ugbodovon

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Sport

Napoli Prepares Bumper Contract for Osimhen

By Web News 572

Italian Serie A leaders, Napoli, are set to offer Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen a new contract following speculations linking him away from the Stadio Maradona Stadium in the January transfer window.

According to reports, The Nigerian striker has been on the radar of several top clubs in the Premier League with Liverpool, Manchester United and Newcastle some of the few to have been linked with the Nigerian, but he is not considering the option of exiting the Italian outfit at the moment, noting that, he aims to win the league with Napoli.

Napoli rejected a €100m bid from Newcastle in January 2021 and La Gazzetta Dello Sport reports Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis is working on the renewal of Osimhen’s contract which expires in three years.

“De Laurentiis is working hard to renew his contract. The current constraint until 2025 would protect the club, but the salary of €4m net risks being too low not to lead the player into temptation,” Area Napoli reports.

The 23-year-old is a fundamental pivot of Luciano Spalletti’s side and Italian pundit Fabio Santini recently claimed that it will cost any potential club €120m to sign the Nigeria striker.

“In August, Osimhenr’s price seemed indispensable: €100m and it is to be believed that this glittering season will lead to further raising his quotation in view of the summer.”

Despite missing several games due to injury, Osimhen has been fantastic for the Partenopeans this season and has established himself as a prolific centre-forward, registering 10 goals and three assists in 14 appearances in all competitions this season.

He was also named the Best Young Player of the 2021/22 season beating Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic, Leao of AC Milan and Sassuolo’s duo Gianluca Scamacca and Giacomo Raspadori to the prestigious award despite scoring fewer goals than the trio.

The Nigeria goal poacher has scored 38 goals in 76 appearances with the Parthenopeans since 2020.

With 18 goals, the highest by any player in the Serie A in 2022, the former Lille striker leads the list of highest goals scored in the year under review, not taking goals scored from the penalty spot into account.

Naples are the only unbeaten team in Serie A, having won 13 games, drawn two games and top the table with 41 points.

Punch/Taiwo Akinola

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