Napoli’s Victor Osimhen reacts through the Serie A soccer match between Napoli and Hellas Verona, on the Diego Armando Maradona stadium in Naples, Italy, Saturday, April 15, 2023. (Alessandro Garofalo/LaPresse by way of AP)
Nigerian hanging sensation Osimhen and France’s new first-choice goalkeeper Maignan arrived at two of Italy’s most storied golf equipment by way of Ligue 1 outfit Lille
Victor Osimhen and Mike Maignan will face off for a spot within the Champions League semi-finals on Tuesday when AC Milan journey south to Naples for the decisive second leg of the all-Italian quarter-final.
Nigerian hanging sensation Osimhen and France’s new first-choice goalkeeper Maignan arrived at two of Italy’s most storied golf equipment by way of Ligue 1 outfit Lille, the place they performed collectively for a season earlier than each ultimately made their method south of the Alps.
Osimhen hadn’t performed for Napoli for the reason that final worldwide break earlier than making a substitute’s look in Saturday’s goalless draw with Verona which reduce his facet’s imposing Serie A result in 14 factors.
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The 24-year-old solely performed the ultimate 17 minutes of that irritating stalemate however the match got here alive as soon as he was on the pitch.
He brought on havoc within the Verona defence and got here near snatching the factors when he smashed a first-time rocket off the underside of the bar with eight minutes remaining.
Osimhen’s devastating effectivity in entrance of purpose was sorely missed in final week’s single-goal defeat which gave Milan a slender benefit to take into Tuesday’s showdown on the Stadio Maradona.
“Osimhen has such a bodily presence and pace you’ll be able to chuck the ball at him and he’ll maintain onto it, use his head or unleash a change of tempo. He has so many various choices when he has the ball,” Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti said on Saturday.
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Napoli wasted a host of chances to get something from the game at a packed and soaking wet San Siro in which Maignan produced the sort of display which has made him a natural successor to Hugo Lloris as Les Bleus’ goalkeeper.
The 27-year-old’s return between the sticks in late February following five months out injured has given Milan more security at the back, with five clean sheets in their last nine matches in all competitions.
And knowing he is ready to pull off at times astonishing saves when gaps appear at the back has allowed Milan to slowly return to the more swashbuckling style with which they won their first Serie A title last season.
– Head-to-head –
His superb stop in the dying seconds on Wednesday denied Giovanni Di Lorenzo from giving Napoli, at that point down to 10 men following the harsh sending off of Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, what would have been a deserved draw.
Former Milan manager Fabio Capello said Maignan was Milan’s best player in the first leg and the seven-time European champions will need him in similar form on Tuesday if they are to have a chance of winning number eight.
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Maignan and Osimhen solely performed collectively for one season at Lille — the 2019-20 marketing campaign — nevertheless it was sufficient to go away an impression on Serie A’s prime scorer.
Asked while still at Lille whether it was easy to score penalties against Maignan, Osimhen said: “No! Nearly everyone misses against him. He’s too good!”
Luckily for Napoli, it’s Osimhen’s associate in goalscoring crime Khvicha Kvaratskhelia who takes spot-kicks.
While 25-goal Osimhen shall be again in Naples, Spalletti must do with out Anguissa and South Korean defensive revelation Kim Min-jae, who’s suspended.
What Napoli lose on the pitch they’ll acquire off it nevertheless, as hardcore supporters agreed a truce of their feud with proprietor Aurelio De Laurentiis which had made the environment at Napoli’s latest house matches poisonous.
Supporters made a colossal racket on Saturday and can little doubt make the Stadio Maradona a seething cauldron for presumably the largest match in Napoli’s historical past.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 employees and is printed from a syndicated information company feed)
