Roma manager Jose Mourinho was impressed with Super Eagles star Victor Osimhen, although he wants him to cut out diving from his game.
Mourinho has showered praises on Victor Osimhen after the Nigerian scored in Napoli’s win over Mourinho’s men.
Roma suffered a 2-1 defeat in their Serie A clash against runaway leaders Napoli on Sunday night. Going into the match, Giallorossi were yet to lose a game in 2023, but Napoli proved to be a tough challenge.
Napoli started on the front foot and got their deserved opener through a moment of brilliance from Victor Osimhen, who fired into the roof of the net after 17 minutes.
Mourinho’s men were the best side for the larger part of the second half, and they got their reward through Stephan El Sharawy, who restored parity for the away side.
But just as it looked like Roma would walk away with a draw, Giovanni Simone’s late strike sealed all three points for Luciano Spalletti’s men.
It was Osimhen's goal, however, that grabbed all the headlines after the Nigerian showed great composure to control a ball from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia before putting the ball past Rui Patricio.
Meanwhile, during the game, Osimhen and Mourinho shared a brief moment, with the former Chelsea manager shaking the Nigerian’s hand.
After the match, Mourinho was asked what he told Osimhen during their brief conversation. The former Real Madrid coach praised him but cautioned him about one aspect of his game.
“I told him, ‘You’re a good player but you don’t always need to dive.' He’s a good player. I clapped for his goal from my seat,” Mourinho said as per journalist Lolade Adewuyi.
“He is of the same level as Drogba, but Didier didn't dive. If Victor changes, then OK. I'd buy him if I was at a club with a lot of money.
“However, if he does go to England one day, he needs to change, because in Italy they put up with this sort of behaviour,” Mourinho added.
The goal against Roma is Osimhen's 14th in Serie A this season, more than any other player in the league this term.
This article was most recently revised and updated 10 months ago
