Osimhen brace as Napoli open title defence with win

Osimhen brace as Napoli open title defence with win

Victor Osimhen has scored twice to help defending champions Napoli come from behind to win 3-1 at newly-promoted Frosinone on the opening day of Serie A.

Osimhen, the leading goal-scorer last season with 26, scored in each half to help Napoli get its title defence off to a good start on Saturday.

Frosinone took a surprise lead in the seventh minute through an Abdou Harroui penalty before Matteo Politano leveled.

Frosinone also had a new coach in Eusebio Di Francesco after he took over from Fabio Grosso, who left the team after leading them to their first ever Serie B title.

And it was the home side who surprisingly scored the first goal of the new season after new Napoli signing Jens Cajuste clattered into the back of Jaime Baez. Harroui struck the resulting penalty into the bottom right corner.

READ ALSO:

• Mbappe scores on PSG return in Toulouse draw

• Martinez double gives Inter Milan 2-1 win over Monza

• Alvarez goal gives Manchester City 1-0 win over Newcastle

It took Napoli until the 24th minute to get back on level terms when Politano’s scuffed shot bobbled out of the Frosinone goalkeeper’s grasp.

Napoli thought they had the lead 10 minutes later but the video assistant referee ruled out Giacomo Raspadori’s strike for an offside by Cajuste in the buildup.

Napoli went in front three minutes from halftime. Giovanni Di Lorenzo used his strength to hold off a defender and pulled the ball back for Osimhen who blasted into the roof of the net.

Osimhen almost score a stunning goal seconds later but his effort curled just past the top of the right upright.

He sealed the result 11 minutes from time when he sprung the offside trap to run onto a Di Lorenzo throughball and fire it into the bottom right corner.

The race already appears to be on for the top goalscorer award as Lautaro Martínez matched Osimhen with two goals in a 2-0 win by Inter Milan over Monza.

Martínez finished second last year with five goals fewer than Osimhen.

The Argentina World Cup winner got his campaign off to the perfect start as he opened his account in the eight minute, side-footing home a low cross from Denzel Dumfries.

Martínez doubled his tally in the 76th, tapping in at the far post after Marko Arnautović rolled it across the face of goal.

Fiorentina swept aside newly=promoted Genoa 4-1.

Cristiano Biraghi, Giacomo Bonaventura and Nicolás González put the visitors 3-0 up before halftime and Rolando Mandragora added the other before Davide Biraschi netted a consolation for Genoa.

Hellas Verona, who escaped relegation following a playoff last season, won at Empoli 1-0.