VICTOR Osimhen scored one of the goals for Napoli in a 3-2 defeat to Villarreal at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium last night, with the Spanish side featuring fellow Nigeria international Samuel Chukwueze for the final 15 minutes.
Super Eagles striker and Serie A top scorer Osimhen and Kvicha Kvaratskhelia were on target for Napoli, while Etienne Capoue, Nicolas Jackson and Gerard Moreno netted for Villarreal.
Before kick-off in Naples, there was a gift for former Napoli players Pepe Reina and Raul Albiol, then a minute’s silence in honour of the late Sinisa Mihajlovic, who died on Friday at the age of 53 after a battle with leukemia.
Visitors Villarreal were off to a bright start and they were rewarded in the 12th minute when Capoue fired them into the lead.
Osimhen pulled Napoli level just two minutes later, escaping the offside trap to absolutely smash the ball into the roof of the net from close range.
After Napoli avoided close calls early in the second half, including a near own goal, Senegal forward Jackson accelerated past Giovanni Di Lorenzo to regain Villarreal’s lead in the 67th minute.
The Spaniards extended their advantage further three minutes later, as Diego Demme’s misplaced pass allowed Moreno to be through on goal for a simple finish.
Kvaratskhelia pulled one back by converting a dubious penalty, earned by Alessio Zerbin, and threatened to equalise with a solo run.
Chukwueze replaced Yeremi Pino in the 75th minute and shortly after, Netherlands striker with Nigerian heritage Arnaut Danjuma almost scored Villarreal’s fourth, clipping the post.
Both teams used the friendly to prepare for the resumption of the Serie A and La Liga after the Qatar 2022 World Cup break.
