Napoli striker Victor Osimhen receives one-match ban

Victor Osimhen, a striker for Napoli, has been given a one-match suspension and will miss Sunday’s critical Serie A match against Atalanta.

Osimhen was suspended because he had collected five yellow cards this season, which makes him ineligible for Napoli’s next league match under Serie A rules.

In September, against Cagliari, the Nigerian forward received his first yellow card after receiving a red card in Napoli’s opening match of the season, a 2-0 home win against Venezia in August.

He scored in a 2-0 victory over Cagliari at the Diego Maradona Stadium.

Osimhen drew two yellow cards in November, the first in a 1-1 draw with Verona and the second against Inter Milan, only seconds before suffering serious facial injuries that required surgery and kept him off the field for more than two months.

Osimhen returned from rehab in late January with a face mask and lasted through February without receiving a caution until he was booked again in March when Napoli lost by the odd goal to league leaders AC Milan.

Luciano Spalletti’s first-choice striker then scored four goals in two games shortly before the international break – against Verona and Udinese – but was sent off for a handball against the Little Zebras, earning his fifth yellow of the season.

As a result, Osimhen will be unable to play in Sunday’s crucial Serie A match against Atalanta for Napoli. Napoli, in second place, needs every point it can get to keep up with league leaders AC Milan, who have a three-point lead.

Spalletti’s side will face a difficult task, as the Neapolitans have not won at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo since December 2018. To keep their title hopes alive, the Partenopei must find a way past Gian Piero Gasperini’s side without their top scorer.