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Osimhen scores on Napoli return against Bologna
The Nigeria international came off the bench to make a meaningful impact for Gennaro Gattuso’s men at Diego Armando Maradona Stadium
Victor Osimhen scored on his return from injury to help Napoli secure a 3-1 victory over Bologna in Sunday’s Serie A game.
The 22-year-old has been out of action since February 21 when he suffered a head trauma against Atalanta in a league game.
The Nigeria international landed awkwardly and hit his head on the turf following a collision with Cristian Romero in the encounter.
The forward was subsequently rushed to the hospital, where he spent the night but after undergoing several tests, he was cleared of any head damage and advised to rest before playing again.
Osimhen missed the Parthenopeans’ last seven games due to the head problems, including last Wednesday’s draw against Sassuolo.
The Super Eagles forward made his much-awaited return in style at Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, scoring his third goal of the season.
Napoli started the game impressively and with only eight minutes into the encounter, opened the scoring through Lorenzo Insigne.
Osimhen was introduced for Dries Mertens in the 53rd minute and wasted no time to announce himself in the encounter.
The Super Eagles centre-forward hit the back of the net after receiving a timely assist from Piotr Zielinski to double his side’s lead.
Roberto Soriano reduced the deficit for Bologna in the 73rd minute after benefitting from Andreas Skov Olsen’s assist.
Three minutes later, Insigne sealed the victory for Gennaro Gattuso’s men to complete his brace in the encounter.
Senegal international Kalidou Koulibaly played for the duration of the game and was cautioned in the 52nd minute.
Algeria’s Faouzi Ghoulam featured for 22 minutes before he was forced off due to an injury while Gambia forward Musa Barrow was a second-half substitute for Bologna.
Osimhen has now scored three goals and provided one assist in 17 appearances since joining the Serie A side from Lille last summer.
The return of the forward will delight Nigeria national team coach Gernot Rohr, who is set to name the forward in his squad for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in March.
Osimhen suffered a shoulder injury in his last international duty with the West African side and also suffered coronavirus-related problems during his visit to the country in December which forced him out of action for more than 90 days.
