Osimhen scores again but Napoli are beaten by Chukwueze's Villarreal in friendly 

Victor Osimhen was on target for Napoli but could not prevent the Serie A table toppers from losing 3-2 to Villarreal in a mid-season friendly held at the Diego Maradona Stadium on Saturday night. 

The Napoli number 9 was in action for 62 minutes and his international teammate and close friend Samuel Chukwueze hopped off the bench for the Yellow Submarine with seventeen minutes left on the clock.

Napoli manager Luciano Spalletti set up his team in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Osimhen deployed as the center forward. 

Étienne Capoue broke the deadlock inside twelve minutes with a left-footed shot from outside the box but the lead lasted two minutes as Osimhen's finish drew the home team level. 

The Super Eagles striker also found the back of the net in Napoli's last friendly before Villarreal came to town, a 3-1 win over Premier League opponents Crystal Palace last weekend in Turkey.

Jackson restored Villarreal's one-goal lead midway through the second half and  Gerard made it 3-1 at minute 69, before  Kvaratskhelia pulled one back from the penalty spot in the 78th minute. 

Napoli's last friendly before the Serie A restart is against Osimhen's former club Lille next Wednesday, while Chukwueze and his teammates return to competitive action on Tuesday, December 20 when they face  Guijuelo in the second Round of the Copa del Rey. 

Ifeanyi Emmanuel 

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