Juventus icon Alessandro Del Piero has lept to the defense of Victor Osimhen after he received backlash from Italian media for his performance in Napoli’s 4-2 aggregate loss to Barcelona on Tuesday night.
The Partenopei were no match for the Blaugrana who won 3-1 on their temporary turf after a 1-1 draw in Naples three weeks ago.
Osimhen was singled out for his performance from Italian media for not being up to his high standards as he was caught offside three times and lost possession on 11 occasions. He was also able to register only one shot on target all game.
Del Piero however backed Osimhen, stressing that the reigning African Player of the Year put in a good effort and was positive in his attitude.
“He put in maximum commitment even if being flagged offside so many times is a little bit excessive,” Del Piero told Sky Sport Italia as per Football Italia.
“Of course, when you play badly in an important match, you are a little down, but the player’s qualities can’t be questioned. Napoli have had a negative season, so you don’t always face what happens with a smile. However, Osimhen’s attitude was always positive.”
???? We'll bounce back from this
???? #ForzaNapoliSempre pic.twitter.com/fDN5LOZ9pW
— Official SSC Napoli (@en_sscnapoli) March 13, 2024
Napoli’s Champions League exit meant they failed to make it to back-to-back quarter-finals for the first time ever.
They will now turn their attention to the Serie A this weekend when they travel to the San Siro to tackle current leaders Inter Milan.
Francesco Calzona’s men sit in seventh spot on the table and are seven points away from the top four.
