Budimir Scores from Penalty in Osasuna's Defeat to Napoli
Croatian striker precise from the spot in his first appearance after the World Cup, but his team loses 1-2 in a friendly in Italy.
Croatian striker precise from the spot in his first appearance after the World Cup, but his team loses 1-2 in a friendly in Italy.
Croatian striker Ante Budimir scored for Osasuna in a 1-2 loss to Italian runners-up Napoli in a friendly played on Wednesday evening in Castel di Sangro, central Italy. It was the first match for the 35-year-old goalscorer after his summer break following the World Cup, where he represented Croatia.
Budimir came on in the second half, with Napoli already leading 1-0 through Matteo Politano's 27th-minute goal. Lorenzo Lucca extended the Italian side's lead in the 53rd minute. The Croatian international won a penalty after a good move involving midfielder Asier Osambela, and then calmly converted it in the 69th minute with a precise strike with the inside of his left foot into the side netting.
After the match, Budimir expressed satisfaction with his return to the team in an interview with the club's media. "I've been training for a few days, I trained on my own, then partially with the team, and then fully with the team, and now I've scored in my first appearance. All of that together helps. It's good, I'm satisfied," said the Croatian striker.
He also commented on the quality of the opposition and working with new coach Luis Miguel Ramis, who took over Osasuna this summer after the sacking of Alessio Lisci. "We are competing, which is the most important thing, against extremely serious and quality opponents. We played an interesting match, in which we had to put in effort. We did good things, and now we continue to accumulate minutes and results, but more importantly, the coach's ideas," Budimir added.
Osasuna has recorded three wins in their pre-season matches so far: they beat newly promoted Spanish top-flight side Racing Santander 2-0, and English clubs Ipswich Town and Norwich City both 2-1. Lisci left the team in 17th place among the 20 Primera clubs, and the players are now adopting the ideas of new coach Ramis.
"Now we turn to Saturday," Budimir said, announcing the final test before the start of the league. Osasuna will host Al-Ain from the United Arab Emirates in Pamplona, followed by the first round of the Spanish league against Celta Vigo. "I've returned to training, catching up on rhythm and learning the new coach's ideas, and I'm getting into the team's rhythm," concluded the Croatian striker, who has been playing for Osasuna since October 2020 and has since become their top scorer.
