SERIE A

Osimhen’s Napoli gearing up for 2nd chance to win Serie A title

Published

1 year ago

May 3, 2023

Napoli s Victor Osimhen, left, reacts after the Serie A soccer match between Napoli and Salernitana, at the Diego Armando Maradona stadium in Naples, Italy, Sunday, April 30, 2023. The match ended in a 1-1 draw. (AP)

At least one Napoli player is looking forward to the club’s possible title celebrations on Thursday in a town far, far from home.

Alex Meret, the team’s goalkeeper, is from the northeastern Italian city of Udine, where Napoli can secure the title by getting at least a draw against Udinese. That chance comes four days after the southern club failed to clinch the Serie A championship in front of its own fans on Sunday after being held to a 1-1 draw by Salernitana at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

The let down put a damper on celebrations that had already started after second-place Lazio lost at Inter Milan earlier in the day.

“We’re definitely disappointed because we wanted to celebrate at home with the incredible atmosphere created by our fans,” Meret said. “But we’re already focused on the match in Udine. … My family is there and they will come watch so it’ll be a wonderful feeling.”

Napoli is attempting to win the Italian league for the first time since Diego Maradona led the team to its only two Serie A titles in 1987 and 1990. The team has an 18-point lead and could even clinch the title a day earlier if Lazio fails to beat Sassuolo.

All that is proving to be something of a logistical nightmare for the club and the city.

City officials in Naples, unable to predict when the title celebrations will start, are considering imposing a traffic ban in the center from Wednesday, before the start of Lazio’s match. The city did the same thing on Sunday.

There are also security concerns regarding the team’s flight back to Naples from Udine. More than 10,000 fans greeted the team at the airport after its win at Juventus nine days ago and that would likely be increased exponentially if Napoli wins the title.

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis said the team could land early Friday morning or in the afternoon. The team could also be rerouted to a different airport.

Plans are also being put in place to show the match on giant screens at the stadium in Naples.

“We are having eight giant screens installed to put two in front of each stand to allow Neapolitans to watch the match like that,” De Laurentiis said. “There are organizational problems and we don’t have much time so we’re asking for a symbolic price of 5 euros ($5.50) and if there’s money left it will be given to charity.

“Moreover, the celebrations that we had prepared will happen on Sunday at the home match against Fiorentina.”

-AP

SERIE A

Ademola Lookman wins Atalanta’s ‘Player of The Season Award

Published

4 weeks ago

June 27, 2024

Kunle Solaja

Nigeria’s Super Eagles winger and silver medal winner with the country at the last AFCON 2023 tournament in Cote D’Ivoire, Ademola Lookman, has emerged as the Atalanta Player of the Season.

The pint-size forward has won the converted award Back-to-back with the Bergamo-based side after his exploit in the domestic and European matches for the side.

Atalanta qualified for two finals with the Nigerian International playing an active role in the campaign.

He was instrumental to Atalanta winning the UEFA Europa League beating Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in the final with the Nigerian scoring all the goals.

The club announced on its official website on Thursday saying, “It’s him again, Ademola Lookman! The reigning champion defends his title and is crowned straight-a student for the second year in a row after staving off an unsparing competition, to the point of both bringing the contest to an overtime runoff and stepping the pose down up to the Instagram profile after the regular session ended in a tie. Kudos to Mola for his back-to-back Player of the Season!” it noted.
It went further that,” building on his 17 goals and 11 key passes in all competitions (making him the team’s second-best seasonal scorer and wingman) and with the hat-trick scored in the magical Dublin final as his main leg-up, Lookman tips the ItalianOptic branded crown once again,” the web remarked.

Aside from Ademola, the second and third-best positions were also announced as the midfield duo of Jose dos Santo Éderson and Teun Koopmeiners.

The Nigerian had a brilliant AFCON experience with Nigeria where he scored three goals and his exploits so far have put him in strong contention to win the next ‘African Footballer of the Year’ award which will come up before the end of the year at a venue yet to be announced by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen is the reigning winner of the award alongside Asissat Oshoola who retained the version.

SERIE A

Napoli reduces Victor Osimhen’s value

Published

1 month ago

June 24, 2024

Kunle Solaja

Former Serie A champions Napoli are reportedly ready to drop their asking price for Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen as his future grows ever more uncertain.

The 25-year-old is looking for a move away from Serie A but Napoli’s initial €150M release clause has warned off any potential suitors.

Quoting from another Italian outlet, Calciomercato, Getfootballnewsitaly reports that Napoli are ready to lower the initial valuation to €100M, in the hope that they can free up much needed transfer funds for new boss Antonio Conte, who is understood to be desperate to land Belgian international striker Romelu Lukaku this summer.

It is also stated that the English Premier League sides, Chelsea who were understood to be in pole-position to sign the Nigerian international, has never opened any negotiation with the 2023 Serie A champions.

The only avenues open at this time seem to be the Saudi Pro-League, where a reported salary of €40M a season has been offered, or Paris Saint-Germain, with Osimhen not keen on either option, preferring a move to the English Premier League.

SERIE A

Osimhen’s Napoli European hopes end with 0-0 draw against Lecce

Published

2 months ago

May 27, 2024

Kunle Solaja

If Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen remains in Napoli in the next season, he will not have any action in UEFA competitions.

Napoli lost their slim chances to participate in European competitions next season when they were held to a 0-0 home draw by Lecce in their last Serie A game of the campaign on Sunday.

Last season’s champions Napoli finished 10th on 53 points, level with ninth-placed Torino who were beaten 3-0 at Atalanta in a simultaneous kick off on Sunday.

Despite their loss, Torino can now still earn a Europa Conference League playoffs spot if eighth-placed Fiorentina, who have a game in hand, win the Europa Conference League.

Fiorentina face Greece’s Olympiacos for the title on Wednesday.

Napoli needed a win to maintain their European hopes but despite 24 shots, five of them on target, they ended their disappointing campaign winless in their last seven games.

Substitute Cyril Ngonge had a good chance to give Napoli the lead just after the break but his shot from the edge of the box was saved by Lecce goalkeeper Wladimiro Falcone.

Jens Cajuste hit the far post with a low strike shortly before Ngonge hit the bar in the 64th minute.

Europa League winners Atalanta, meanwhile, secured at least fourth spot after Gianluca Scamacca, Ademola Lookman and Mario Pasalic were all on target in a 3-0 win against Torino.

They sit fourth on 69 points but can still leapfrog third-placed Juventus, on 71 points, if they beat Fiorentina in their last remaining game next Sunday.

-Reuters