Victor Osimhen, the Napoli striker who has been breaking records in the Italian Serie A, added another feather to his cap by scoring a hat-trick for Nigeria in their 6-0 thrashing of Sao Tome and Principe in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Sunday, September 10.
Osimhen, who has been in sensational form for both club and country, surpassed two former Super Eagles stars, Obafemi Martins and Ikechukwu Uche, on Nigeria’s all-time goalscoring chart with his three goals in Uyo.
The 23-year-old opened the scoring in the 14th minute with a clinical finish after a fine pass from Ademola Lookman, who doubled the lead just before half-time with his first goal for Nigeria.
In the second half, Osimhen continued his rampage as he won and converted a penalty in the 52nd minute to equal Uche’s 19 goals for Nigeria. He then completed his hat-trick in the 64th minute with a simple tap-in after a brilliant assist from Samuel Chukwueze, who also got on the scoresheet in the 89th minute with a curling shot from the edge of the box.
Osimhen’s hat-trick took his tally to 20 goals for the senior national team, making him the third-highest goalscorer in Nigeria’s history behind only Rashidi Yekini (37 goals) and Segun Odegbami (23 goals).
Osimhen has also surpassed former Liberia striker George Weah as the African with the highest number of goals in the Italian League top-flight history. He scored 29 goals for Napoli last season, helping them to win their first league title in 33 years and claiming the Serie A top-scorer award.
Osimhen is undoubtedly one of the best strikers in the world right now and he has proven his worth for both Napoli and Nigeria. He will be hoping to continue his impressive form as he leads Nigeria’s attack in the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon next year.
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