Napoli, the defending champions of Serie A, continued their resurgence with a 4-0 victory over Lecce on Saturday, climbing to third place in the standings. Ahead of their Champions League match against Real Madrid next Tuesday, coach Rudi Garcia opted not to start striker Victor Osimhen, but the Nigerian wasted no time making an impact after coming on as a substitute for Giovanni Simeone in the second half.
After recovering the ball in his half, Osimhen played a pass to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia on the left before cutting inside and delivering a precise cross that Osimhen headed into the net in the 51st minute. Garcia told DAZN, "Osimhen did not start, but he was in good physical condition and scored an important goal for us."
The player's agent had threatened to sue the club after a TikTok video mocking Osimhen was posted on Tuesday and later removed, but the striker did not let the controversy affect his performance. The visiting team took the lead through defender Leo Østigård, who scored his first goal in Serie A, before Gianluca Gaetano added the third goal two minutes before the end of regular time with a long-range shot. Matteo Politano scored the fourth from a penalty in stoppage time.
