Italy legend Alessandro Del Piero defends Victor Osimhen after the Nigerian striker faced criticism from Fabio Capello and the Italian media for Napoli’s 3-1 loss against Barcelona on Tuesday, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The Partenopei drew 1-1 with the Blaugrana in Naples, but suffered a 3-1 loss in Catalonia, with Fermin Lopez, Joao Cancelo and Roberto Lewandowski scoring to overturn Amir Rrahmani’s goal.
Osimhen struggled to make an impact for Napoli, only managing one shot and winning one of his 10 duels.
According to player ratings from La Gazzetta dello Sport, Corriere dello Sport and Tuttosport, Osimhen was given a rating of five and was faulted for repeatedly being offside, flagged six times in the first half.
La Gazzetta dello Sport said, “At the start, he (Osimhen) missed a big opportunity and went offside four times in the first 20 minutes.”
Corriere dello Sport added, “He (Osimhen) played against a high line and struggled to avoid offside, becoming a regular target.”
Tuttosport commented, “Frequently offside, he was unable to make an impact in the match.”
Corriere della Sera echoed these views, highlighting his lack of influence in the game, stating, “He (Osimhen) was offside three times in the first 21 minutes, and four times in the entire first half. A forgettable performance.”
Capello was also unimpressed by the Nigeria international’s performance.
“Osimhen was flagged offside six times in the first half and went unnoticed in the second half,” he said.
“It was not the same Osimhen we usually see. He struggled against Barcelona defenders and only won one aerial duel. Barcelona’s weak point was the defence, and he could not emerge.”
However, Capello thought the Partenopei deserved a penalty kick in the second half for a potential foul on Osimhen.
“I feel Napoli deserved a penalty, I didn’t like the referee,” Capello added.
But former Juventus captain and Italy forward Del Piero feels the 25-year-old showed a positive attitude against the La Liga giants.
“He put in maximum commitment even if being flagged offside so many times is a little bit excessive,” Del Piero told Sky Sport Italia.
“Of course, when you play badly in an important match, you are slightly down, but Osimhen’s qualities can’t be questioned. Napoli has had a negative season, so you don’t always face what happens with a smile. However, Osimhen’s attitude was always positive.”
Osimhen has scored 13 goals in 24 appearances across all competitions this season, including one in the Champions League Round of 16 first leg against Barcelona two weeks ago.
Napoli’s next Serie A game is against Inter at the Stadio Meazza in San Siro on Sunday.
