MY ACCOUNT
Victor Osimhen hit a brace as Napoli’s march to the Serie A title continued with a 4-0 victory at Torino.
The Nigeria striker fired in either half at Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino to send Napoli 21 points clear at the top, although second-placed Inter host Juventus later on Sunday.
After Osimhen opened the scoring in the early exchanges, the Partenopei soon had control as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored from the penalty spot.
Any hope of a Torino comeback was wiped away soon after the interval, Osimhen netting again before Tanguy Ndombele added another to keep Napoli on course for the crown.
It took just nine minutes for Napoli to take the lead, Osimhen meeting Piotr Zielinski’s corner and heading a controlled finish into the far corner of Vanja Milinkovic-Savic’s net.
The hosts would not be silenced though, Alex Meret denying a fierce Samuele Ricci drive before Nikola Vlasic poked the rebound onto the post from close range.
Napoli doubled their lead 10 minutes before the break as Kvaratskhelia slotted a penalty straight down the middle after being felled by Karol Linetty.
Osimhen struck a drilled effort from outside the box that required a diving save from Milinkovic-Savic, with Luciano Spalletti’s visitors threatening to run rampant before the break.
Napoli struck again after 51 minutes as Kvaratskhelia’s inventive flick found Mathias Olivera, who lofted an inviting left-wing cross for Osimhen to tuck home.
Kvaratskhelia capped a fine individual display in the 68th minute, unselfishly teeing up substitute Ndombele to poke under Milinkovic-Savic and wrap up a commanding win.
What does it mean? Napoli edge closer
Napoli’s win in Turin extended an already emphatic advantage over their closest rivals Inter, who must negotiate a tricky task at home to Juventus.
Spalletti’s side may now start to think about their celebration plans, with just 15 more points required to clinch the title – a tally that will be reduced if Inter drop points at San Siro.
The Partenopei will not take their foot off the gas, however, particularly with a two-legged Champions League quarter-final against Milan to follow in April.
Clinical Kvaratskhelia
With a goal and an assist against Torino, Kvaratskhelia has now hit double figures for both goals and assists in his debut season for Napoli (12 goals, 10 assists).
That made the Georgia winger the first player since Werder Bremen’s Diego in the 2006-07 term (13 goals, 13 assists) to manage 10+ goals and assists in his maiden season in one of Europe’s top-five leagues.
Sanabria’s struggles
Torino had opportunities to score, most of which fell to Antonio Sanabria. His total of four shots in the game was second to only Osimhen’s five.
However, the hosts’ number nine failed to hit the target with any of those attempts which, given three were from inside the box, is particularly poor.
Key Opta Facts
– Victor Osimhen has scored 21 goals in Serie A this season, becoming the fourth player of the De Laurentiis era to score at least 20 goals in a league campaign, after Edinson Cavani, Gonzalo Higuain and Dries Mertens.
– For the first time in their history Napoli have kept six clean sheets in a row in Serie A.
– Napoli have won 51 Serie A matches against Torino, only against Lazio (54) have they done better.
– Victor Osimhen has scored 21 goals in this league, equalling 2010/11’s Samuel Eto’o as Africa’s top goalscorer in a single Serie A season.
– Napoli have scored 15 goals from corners, more than any other Serie A team this season.
What’s next?
Napoli host Milan on April 2 after the international break in the first of three meetings in three weeks, while Torino travel to Sassuolo a day later.
