Nigeria striker, Victor Osimhen, marked his return for Napoli with a goal that gave the Italian champions a 1-1 draw with Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday night.
Osimhen rolled home the leveller with 15 minutes left of the match at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, in his first match since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote d’Ivoire.
The 25-year-old striker equalised Robert Lewandowski’s 60th-minute opener, which seemed likely to be the decisive goal as Barcelona were for long periods the better team, with Napoli’s first and only shot on target.
Napoli captain, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, said: “He’s a huge player for us.
“He’s come back with the right attitude. We knew he would though as he’s a great player and professional. He’ll give us a hand in the matches to come.”
Osimhen had last played for Napoli in a 2-0 defeat at Roma just before Christmas when he was one of two players from his team to be sent off.
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His ninth club goal of the season came at a crucial time, not just in the match but in Napoli’s campaign as they play under their third manager of the season in Francesco Calzona, their league title defence up in flames.
Calzona had less than 48 hours to prepare for his first match in charge after replacing Walter Mazzarri on Monday night, and Osimhen gave Napoli a chance to progress despite a disjointed performance by his team.
Napoli head into next month’s second leg in the Catalan capital knowing that with Osimhen in the team there is always a chance of a goal regardless of the overall team display.
Meanwhile, Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, bemoaned his team’s lack of cutting edge as Galeno’s sublime stoppage-time goal earned Porto a 1-0 win in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday.
Appearing in a first knockout match in Europe’s premier club competition for seven years, Arsenal struggled to break down an organised Porto defence before Galeno’s stroke of brilliance in the 94th minute.
The defeat ended Arsenal’s eight-game unbeaten run against Portuguese opposition and the Gunners with plenty of work to do in the return leg in London on March 12.
“We lacked threat. We lacked aggression, especially when we had the ball in the final third. So we will tweak a few things to attack better. We can do better,” Arteta said.
Arsenal last made it to the Champions League quarter-finals in 2010, when they beat Porto in the last-16, but it is the Portuguese club who now have the upper hand.
Arsenal have never won the Champions League – losing their only final appearance against Barcelona in 2006.
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