Il Corriere dello Sport points out that Napoli’s match against Udinese could have been a potential disaster for Victor Osimhen. Meanwhile, La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that despite the Nigeria international’s lack of smiles, his performance was still commendable. Osimhen scored a goal in Napoli’s 4-1 victory over Udinese, a game closely watched after his agent, Roberto Calenda, had threatened legal action against the club due to a TikTok video that appeared to mock him following last week’s 0-0 draw with Bologna.
Osimhen started the match, scored a goal, and allowed his teammate Piotr Zielinski to take a penalty in the first half. Although he did not celebrate his goal, he did shake hands with Garcia when substituted in the second half.
Italian sports newspapers gave Osimhen high ratings on Thursday morning, although he was not the best player on the field at the Stadio Maradona. La Gazzetta dello Sport, Tuttosport, and Il Corriere dello Sport all rated Osimhen at 7/10, while Tuttosport and Corsport awarded Kvara an 8/10, and Gazzetta gave him a 7.5/10.
Despite going through three challenging days, Osimhen “didn’t smile but remained engaged in the game,” according to the pink paper. “He relinquished the penalty to Zielinski but later scored from open play.”
Il Corriere dello Sport added, “He didn’t take responsibility for the penalty, but it was acceptable.”
“It could have been a disastrous night, but it ultimately turned out to be more than positive,” concluded the report.