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The Napoli loanee scored twice against his parent club on Sunday, outperforming the Super Eagles man at the Maradona and denting the Partenopei’s European chase.
Napoli’s quest for European football next season suffered a blow on Sunday when struggling Frosinone twice responded to falling behind at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
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13:37 - 14.04.2024
Osimhen strike not enough as Napoli suffer crucial blow in race for Champions League football
Napoli's slim chances of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League are hanging by a thread after a disappointing 2-2 draw against Frosinone at home.
Napoli vs Frosinone
Francesco Calzona’s men could only play out to a 2-2 draw despite twice edging ahead through Matteo Politano and Victor Osimhen, but Walid Cheddira twice stunned his parent club.
The Moroccan won the first-half penalty that was saved by Alex Meret, underscoring the on-loan striker’s top showing against his usual employers. Both goals frustrated Calzona, who criticised his team’s mistakes and loss of focus at crucial periods during the tie.
At the other end, the hosts were wasteful, with Osimhen failing to convert three scoring opportunities tagged cleat-cut chances, even if he netted his 13th Serie A goal to put the Azzurri 2-1 up. It was not enough to secure the points as Cheddira headed home Nadir Zortea’s cross 10 minutes after Osimhen's 63rd-minute.
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How has Cheddira outdone Osimhen?
While Cheddira has scored significantly fewer than Osimhen's 13 league goals, the Moroccan is arguably in finer form than the Nigeria international, with five of his six goals coming in the on-loan forward's last seven Serie A appearances.
Cheddira has netted four goals since the start of March, more than anyone else in the Italian topflight. That includes Osimhen, who has netted just twice in the same period — against Monza and Frosinone — to take his tally to 13.
The Nigerian sought his second brace against the same opponent in a Serie A season but could not set a new personal record as the Partenopei dropped crucial points.
What comes next for Osimhen and Napoli?
Napoli missed the chance to move above Atalanta into sixth in the standings, frustrating Calzona.
Osimhen is expected to feature for the Partenopei, whose next Serie A fixture pits them against another struggling side Empoli, with the April 20 encounter being held at the Castellani. Napoli host Champions League-chasing Roma on April 27 to close out the month.
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