Osimhen Scores As Napoli Maul Lazio

epa08683521 Parma's Simone Iacoponi (L) and Napoli's Victor Osimhen (R) in action during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Parma Calcio and S.S.C. Napoli at Ennio Tardini stadium in Parma, Italy, 20 September 2020. EPA/ELISABETTA BARACCHI

Victor Osimhen came on to score for the third time in five games as Napoli turbo-charged their quest for Champions League football with a 5-2 demolition of Lazio in Serie A at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium on Thursday.

Osimhen was subbed on in the 74th minute and scored Napoli’s fifth six minutes later to kill off any faint hopes of a Lazio fightback.

It was the sixth goal in 19 league fixtures for Osimhen who appears to have found his groove and is beginning to justify the club and African record fee Napoli shelled out for him in the summer following a difficult start to his career in Italy.

Napoli were ahead after only six minutes from Lorenzo Insigne’s spot kick and Matteo Politano made it 2-0 six minutes later.

Insigne completed his brace in the 53rd minute before Dries Mertens scored to put Gennaro Gattuso’s side 4-0 up.

Ciro Immobile and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic struck for the visitors as Lazio threatened a comeback but Osimhen put paid to any such dreams when he fired past Pepe Reina in Lazio’s goal to put the game to bed.

The win leaves Napoli just two points behind Atalanta and Juventus in the race for the top four with six games remaining.