BEVERLY HILLS, March 08, (THEWILL) – It was a joyous occasion to witness the second-half substitution that took place in the 53rd minute of the Serie A match between Napoli and Bologna.
Napoli Belgian forward, Dries Mertens, was being substituted off for the previously sidelined Nigerian striker, Victor Osimhen, who has recovered from a head trauma sustained in the final minutes of Napoli’s 4-2 loss to Atlanta on Sunday, February 21, and given the go ahead to return to active football.
The double portion of pleasure that marked Osimhen’s return to action included the fact that the 22-year-old got his name on the score-sheet together with team captain Lorenzo Insigne, who scored a brace, one goal either side of Osimhen’s.
READ ALSO: Victor Osimhen Joins Teammates For Light Training As Recovery Continues
The victory consolidated Napoli’s sixth position, which keeps Gennaro Gattuso’s side only three points off the Champions League berths. Osimhen repaid Gattuso’s confidence in him with his goal. The coach had earlier gone as far as openly defending the Nigerian against critics who have frowned at his contribution to the club since his big money move from Lille in Ligue 1.
After being away for two weeks to resuscitate himself from the impact on his head that resulted in a diagnosis of head trauma, Osimhen returned to the bench to be eased into the fray only gradually. Gattuso sent him in, off the bench eight minutes after the break.
Insigne broke the deadlock eight minutes into the tie, gratefully accepting a defense-splitting Piotr Zielinski’s back-heel kick, which Insigne promptly buried from just outside the box.
In a snapshot of coincidence, Osimhen also scored eight minutes after coming on.
The Nigerian was also involved in Insigne’s second 12 minutes later off a rebound just after Roberto Soriano had pulled a goal back for Bologna as consolation.
Hopefully, Osimhen will take this as a spur towards achieving his potential to be a striker of note all without any further impediments.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
