Victor Osimhen grabbed his first hat-trick for Napoli as Gennaro Gattuso’s men crushed L’Aquila 11-0 on Friday evening to emerge champions of the triangular pre-season tournament in Abruzzo, Italy.
Napoli, L’Aquila, and Castel di Sangro were the three sides involved in the mini-tournament, with each match lasting just 45 minutes.
Earlier in the afternoon, Gattuso fielded an entirely different starting lineup and watched with delight as his side handed a 10-0 thrashing to lowly Castel di Sangro. Milik’s brace highlighted that encounter.
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L’Aquila also humiliated Castel di Sangro 12-0 in the other tournament face-off.
Osimhen, however, turned out to be the star of the friendly event, tough, displaying enormous hunger and desire to fire in three goals within the first ten minutes to power Napoli to another huge win.
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The 21-year-old forward opened the scoring with barely a minute played, doubled the Azzurri’s advantage moments later, and completed his hat-trick – Napoli’s fourth – all inside the first eight minutes of the game.
Mertens had grabbed Napoli’s third of the tie in the fifth minute.
Just before the half-hour mark, the Super Eagles striker then turned provider for teammate, Hirving Lozano, to tuck home Napoli’s eighth of an eventful evening.
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It’s Napoli’s first two friendly games during their training camp in preparations for the Serie A season scheduled to begin next month.
Osimhen spotted jersey number 15 during the encounter.
After the game, a satisfied Gattuso to Napoli’s official website:
“I’m satisfied with Victor (Osimhen), but let’s let him work in peace.
“Osimhen is integrating well, he has quality, means, he knows what he can do, and if he continues to commit himself, he can have a great impact on the pitch.”
The former Royal Charleroi striker joined the Italian side from Lille last month for a fee that made him the most expensive African transfer in history.
