Victor Osimhen sets record as Napoli clinch Scudetto
Victor Osimhen has broken the record for the most goals scored by an African player in a single Serie A season after scoring his 22nd goal of the campaign at Udinese.
Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o netted 21 goals in the colors of Inter Milan in the 2010-11 campaign to become the African with the most goals in a single Serie A season, but that record has now been overtaken by Osimhen — who fired in from close range to earn Napoli a 1-1 draw against Andrea Sottil’s side on Thursday.
The Nigerian slammed home a loose ball to put his side level after Slovenian midfielder Sandi Lovric had put the hosts in front. The goal ultimately earned Napoli a point and their first Scudetto since 1990.
Osimhen had matched Eto’o’s record on March 19 after netting a brace in the 4-0 victory at Torino and was looking to overtake the former Barcelona man immediately after April’s international break.
However, he missed the ties against AC Milan and Lecce — after suffering an injury in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Guinea Bissau.
He returned from the injury to face Verona on April 15, but could not get on the scoresheet. He also failed to find the back of the net against Juventus and Salernitana, before Thursday night’s strike.
Having already helped his team secure the Serie A title, Osimhen will be looking to winning the top scorer award.
The former Wolfsburg striker is three goals ahead of his closet challenger — Inter’s Lautaro Martinez — in the Serie A scoring race that has seen a late challenge from Salernitana’s Boulaye Dia, who has scored five goals in his last three games.
With only five games left to play, Osimhen knows he needs to keep on scoring to ensure that he’s not overtaken in the charts.