UCL: Osimhen and Napoli teammates miss out on N17.39b+ reward after 3-1 defeat to Barcelona 

Napoli's hopes of advancing in the UEFA Champions League were shattered as they succumbed to a 3-1 defeat against Barcelona.

With this loss, Barcelona secured a 4-2 aggregate victory over the Italian side, ending their journey in the tournament.

Victor Osimhen played a significant role in the first leg, scoring a crucial goal that resulted in a 1-1 draw at the Diego Maradona Stadium.

However, his efforts weren't enough to secure a favorable outcome in the second leg at Stadio Olimpico.

Barcelona surged to an early two-goal advantage on Tuesday night with strikes from Fermín López and João Cancelo, but Napoli's hopes were kept alive when Amir Rrahmani pulled one back for the visitors in the first half. 

However, Robert Lewandowski ultimately secured victory for Barcelona with a goal seven minutes from time, slotting home a pass from Sergio Roberto after a slick exchange of passes between him and Ikay Gudogan.

Adding salt to the wound, Napoli players, including Osimhen, missed out on a substantial financial reward promised by club President Aurelio de Laurentiis. 

Ahead of the crucial fixture, Di Laurentiis confirmed to CBS Sports Golazo he had pledged to award the team more than €10 million (approximately N17.39 billion+ in Nigerian currency using the official CBN exchange rate as at Tuesday, March 12) should they manage to defeat Barcelona.

However, with their elimination from the tournament, the players will no longer be entitled to this generous incentive.

The future of Osimhen - Napoli's best-paid player - is uncertain, with speculation mounting about potential moves to English and French clubs in the upcoming transfer window. 

Clubs such as Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, and PSG have expressed interest in acquiring the services of the 25-year-old striker.

Adeyemi Adewale

Photo Credit: uefa.com

Copyright ANS
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from allnigeriasoccer.com