Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen, scored a hattrick to help Napoli trash Sassuolo 6-1 in the Italian Serie A at the Stadio Città del Tricolore on Wednesday evening.
Napoli came back from a goal down after Uroš Račić put the hosts ahead 17 minutes into the encounter, leaving the visitors stunned.
The defending Serie A champions far from retaining the Scudetto kept their slim hopes for a European qualification alive after Amir Rrahmani drew the visitors’ level in the 29th minute.
Napoli currently sit ninth on the Seria A standing with 40 points from 26 matches, managing 11 wins and seven draws. Francesco Calzona’s men trail runaway league leaders Inter by 26 points but are six points behind Atalanta who occupy fifth and hold the Europa League qualification spot. Napoli are eight points off the Champions League spot but will need to overtake Roma, Fiorentina and Lazio who sit 6th, 7th, and 8th with just a combined 5-point difference.
Sassuolo, on the other hand, dropped into the relegation zone after a sixth defeat in seven matches. It is the first defeat under new manager, Emiliano Bigica, who joined following the sacking of Alessio Dionisi on Sunday,
Meanwhile, Osimhen has registered five goals in three games since rejoining the Seria A outfit after helping the Super Eagles to second place at the just-concluded Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.
Despite standing out as one of the influential figures in the Super Eagles squad, Osimhen experienced an unexpected goal drought in the tournament, scoring only just one goal as the VAR denied him on other occasions.
Osimhen who is valued at around £111million by Napoli put himself on the top European strikers map after leading Napoli to their first Serie A title in 33 years last season, scoring 26 goals in 32 games, with Paris Saint-Germain also keen on a move.