By Scoring More
Napoli, the current Italian champion, kicked off the season with a 3-1 victory at home against the newly promoted Frosinone on Saturday (19th), in a match from the first round of Serie A.
At the start of their campaign to defend the title, Napoli was led by their new coach Rudi Garcia, who returned to the Italian league over seven years after leaving Roma (2013-16).
The initial minutes of the match were challenging for the reigning champion, who conceded a goal just 7 minutes in after a penalty committed by the Swedish player Jens Cajuste, signed this August. The Moroccan Abdou Harroui converted the penalty.
Matteo Politano leveled the score by capitalizing on a poorly cleared shot by the Frosinone defense (24′).
Then it was the turn of the Nigerian star Victor Osimhen, the top scorer of the last season with 26 goals, to step up and put Napoli ahead at the 42nd minute with a first-time shot from outside the area (42′).
Early in the second half, the Nigerian, who had received several offers to leave Napoli during the preseason, came close to scoring the third goal with a shot from 25 meters away (62′).
Ten minutes later, he completed his brace (72′) against a visibly fatigued Frosinone.
“It was important to start well… the opponent gave us a lot of difficulty,” Osimhen told DAZN.
The star also commented on the interest from other clubs to sign him. “The president is in charge. We are still negotiating, maybe at the end of the transfer window, we will see what happens,” Osimhen said, whose current contract expires in June 2025.
“But for now, I am a Napoli player, which is the most important thing, and I will give my heart and soul for the team,” the Nigerian assured.
Juventus, who finished seventh last season after a 10-point deduction due to accounting fraud, will play away against Udinese on Sunday with Frenchman Paul Pogba in the squad.
Milan will wrap up the round on Monday by traveling to face Bologna.