Victor Osimhen, last season's top goal-scorer with a commendable tally of 26 goals, started the new Serie A season in style, netting twice and ensuring the defending champions Napoli rallied to secure a 3-1 victory over newcomers Frosinone.
The hosts Frosinone, fresh from their Serie B title triumph, surprised everyone by drawing first blood in the 7th minute, courtesy of an Abdou Harroui penalty. This early lead was short-lived as Napoli's Matteo Politano equalized in the 24th minute, capitalizing on a goalkeeping error.
Napoli's new acquisition, Jens Cajuste, was at the center of the initial drama, conceding the early penalty after a challenge on Jaime Baez. The video assistant referee (VAR) was later instrumental in ruling out a potential Napoli lead, finding an offside in the lead-up to Giacomo Raspadori's strike.
However, just before the half-time whistle, Giovanni Di Lorenzo set up Osimhen, who showcased his clinical finishing to put Napoli ahead. While Frosinone's Baez almost found the equalizer, Osimhen was the man of the hour, securing Napoli's win with his second goal, artfully dodging the offside trap to find the net.
This victory was a promising start for Napoli's new coach, Rudi Garcia, succeeding Luciano Spalletti. Notably, Spalletti recently took the reins of the Italian national team after Roberto Mancini’s unexpected resignation.
In other Serie A action, Lautaro Martínez, the Argentina World Cup winner and Inter Milan's star striker, mirrored Osimhen's performance with a double in Inter’s 2-0 triumph over Monza. Finishing only five goals behind Osimhen last season, Martínez's performance hints at an exciting contest for the top goal-scorer title this season.
Fiorentina also made headlines with a resounding 4-1 victory over newly promoted Genoa. Their dominant performance saw goals from Cristiano Biraghi, Giacomo Bonaventura, Nicolás González, and Rolando Mandragora. Genoa's consolation goal came from Davide Biraschi. Meanwhile, Hellas Verona, having narrowly avoided relegation last term, kick-started their campaign with a 1-0 win against Empoli.
