Rejuvenated Osimhen equals Maradona’s record with his hat-trick against Sassuolo

Since returning to his Italian club after the AFCON, Victor Osimhen has netted five goals in his last three matches, with the Nigerian scoring a hat-trick as Napoli defeated Sassuolo 6-1 in a thrilling Serie A encounter on Wednesday.

Despite going behind in the game, Francesco Calzona, Napoli manager, charged his team, with Osimhen leading the comeback.

The Nigerian forward opened his three-goal scoring spree in the 31st minute, tapping in from close range after a well-worked move involving Matteo Politano and Di Lorenzo.

He completed his brace ten minutes later, displaying his pace and composure to beat the offside trap and flick the ball past the goalkeeper.

Osimhen’s hat trick and Kvaratskhelia’s brace secured a maiden victory for Francesco Calzona as Napoli manager; it marred the debut of his Sassuolo counterpart, Emiliano Bigica.

His magnificent goal-scoring feat put Osimhen on par with the late legendary Argentina football star Diego Maradona in Napoli’s history.

He became only the third player in the club’s history to score at least 10 goals in four consecutive Serie A seasons, joining the legendary Diego Maradona (1984/85–1987/88) and Attila Sallustro (1929/30–1932/33).

Napoli are ninth on the Serie A table with 40 points after 26 matches.