Italian champions Napoli had a tough time against newcomers Frosinone but managed to come from behind and win 3-1. Victor Osimhen scored twice, securing his second brace in three league games, to seal the victory....CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
The match featured two experienced managers, Eusebio Di Francesco and Rudi Garcia, with different goals for the season. Napoli were the clear favorites, aiming to become only the third team this century to defend the Scudetto.
However, their title defense got off to a rough start when Jens Cajuste, a summer signing, committed a penalty for a reckless challenge that posed no real danger to the goal. Abdou Harroui calmly stepped up and used his experience in Serie A to deceive the Napoli goalkeeper, Alex Meret, and shock the champions.
Last season, Naples had a remarkable ability to come back from setbacks, demonstrating their resilience and determination. As anticipated, they regrouped and one player in particular, Politano, took the lead by unleashing a powerful left-footed shot that found the back of the net, capitalizing on Giacomo Raspadori’s rebound. This equalizer for Naples sparked a one-sided dominance on the field.
Raspadori himself had a moment of scoring glory, only to have VAR rule the goal offside in a previous stage of the play. Nevertheless, Naples reestablished their identity as an unstoppable force, particularly in the 2022/23 season.
The team’s momentum was further solidified just before halftime when Osimhen, their top goalscorer with 26 goals, delivered a remarkable first-time strike, expertly placing the ball into the roof of the net. This goal came as a result of a powerful run down the right by Giovanni Di Lorenzo.
Moving on to the opposition, the Stadio Benito Stirpe served as a fortress for the Canaries throughout the previous season, even in their second division status.
Their only two defeats occurred in front of their home fans, displaying a strong home-field advantage. Despite the significant step up in quality of opposition in this particular match, the Canaries did not succumb easily.
In fact, Jaime Báez caused Naples’ goalkeeper, Meret, to panic with a long-range free kick that seemed destined for the back of the net, only to strike the woodwork instead.
Osimhen, on the other hand, demonstrated his prowess once again, securing his second goal of the night by skillfully evading the offside trap and calmly slotting the ball past Stefano Turati in a one-on-one situation. It was evident that Osimhen was never going to lose in that scenario.
Celebrating their 18th goal in just five head-to-head matches against their opponents, Naples preserved Garcia’s unbeaten personal record of six games against Di Francesco.
Despite the absence of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia due to injury, Napoli’s attacking threat remained as potent as ever, leaving Frosinone with no illusions about the immense challenge they faced in avoiding immediate relegation to Serie B for the third consecutive time….READFULL
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