Osimhen nets 2 as Napoli beats Spezia 4-1 to boost CL hopes

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This article was published 08/05/2021 (1965 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MILAN – Victor Osimhen’s latest impressive display saw him score two and set up another to help Napoli crush relegation-threatened Spezia 4-1 in Serie A and boost its Champions League hopes on Saturday.

Both of Osimhen’s goals came in the first half after Piotr Zielinski’s opener. Roberto Piccoli pulled one back for Spezia but Hirving Lozano restored Napoli’s three-goal advantage.

Napoli moved into second, a point above Atalanta, Juventus and AC Milan. Another rival for a top four finish and a Champions League place, Lazio, lost at Fiorentina 2-0.

Spezia also desperately needed the win as it was only three points above the relegation zone, but Napoli took the lead in the 15th minute when Zielinski was left unmarked to tap in Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s cross.

Zielinski then turned provider, sending Osimhen clear to finish off a counterattack.

Osimhen chested down a Lorenzo Insigne free kick and volleyed it in on the stroke of halftime for his second of the match and sixth goal in as many matches.

In the 64th, Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret only parried an Nahuel Estévez header and Piccoli bundled in the rebound for Spezia.

Napoli’s fourth goal was initially disallowed but replays showed Osimhen was onside when he started his run from near the middle of the pitch before rolling across for Lozano to tap in.

PARTY TIME

Inter Milan fans celebrated their Serie A title before the match against Sampdoria and the players marked the occasion by turning on the style in a 5-1 win.

Inter won its first league title since 2010 last weekend after Atalanta failed to beat Sassuolo on the Sunday.

Thousands of fans celebrated in the streets of Milan then, and they did so again in front of San Siro on Saturday.

Around 3,000 fans were outside the stadium to welcome the Inter team buses. They started gathering a couple of hours before, chanting and singing as they jumped and clapped with little heed to coronavirus restrictions. Almost all wore masks but many were pulled down below their chins.

They waved flags and banners and lit flares.

The Inter players were given a guard of honour by Sampdoria when they went out on to the pitch.

Roberto Gagliardini scored in the fourth minute, Alexis Sánchez added two in the first half, either side of a Keita goal for Samp. Andrea Pinamonti netted his first goal for Inter in the 61st, and Lautaro Martínez added a penalty following a handball by Samp midfielder Adrien Silva.

HOPES DASHED

Lazio’s chances of sneaking into the Champions League are all but over.

Lazio remained five points behind fourth-placed Juventus, which hosts AC Milan on Sunday in a direct battle for a place in Europe’s elite club competition. Third-placed Atalanta visits already relegated Parma.

There are only three rounds remaining after this weekend. Lazio also has a catchup game to play, against Torino.

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Dušan Vlahovic scored twice as he helped Fiorentina move seven points above the relegation zone. The youngster also scored two last weekend and has 12 goals in his past nine matches.

Fiorentina goalkeeper Bartlomiej Dragowski starred to keep Lazio at bay and Vlahovic sealed the match in the final minute when he headed in a corner.

Lazio’s misery was compounded when midfielder Andreas Pereira was sent off in stoppage time following a second yellow card.

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