Ibrahimovic joins elite Serie A club with double at Napoli

Sports News for Monday, November 23, 2020

Source: goal.com

2020-11-23

Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been inscribed in Serie A history by becoming the fourth player to score in his first six league games of the season.

The Swedish veteran continues to confuse critics with his performances for the Serie A leaders.

At 39, there were those who believed he was too old to be a force in one of Europe’s top leagues, but he has started the season in an absolutely prolific way.

On Sunday, he continued his six-game scoring streak by opening the scoring away from home against Napoli, elevating him to a select club of stars.

However, the Swede did not finish after his opener in the 20th minute as he also scored in the 54th minute to seal a double in the 3-1 victory.

The two goals gave Ibrahimovic another record: he is now the oldest player to score at least 10 goals in the first eight days of Serie A.

Previously, there were only three other players to score in their first six Serie A games of the season.

Fiorentina’s Gabriel Batistuta was the first to complete the feat in 1994-95, before Christian Vieri equaled it in the 2002-03 season with Inter. Krzysztof Piatek did it in 2018-19 with the colors of Genoa.

However, it was not a perfect night for Ibrahimovic, as he had to be withdrawn early due to a muscle injury, leaving Milan sweating from the physical form of their star forward.

Ibrahimovic’s current streak began on September 21 when he scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Bologna. Then his season was cut short because he missed a couple of matches after being infected by Covid-19.

When he returned to the field, he did so in spectacular fashion. Again, he hit a double, this time in the derby against Inter, then against Roma he managed another pair in a 3-3 draw.

The race continued until November, when he scored and assisted in the 2-1 victory over Udinese and before the international break he scored against Hellas Verona.

While it has been lethal in Serie A, it has not been as effective in European football. He has appeared in all three Europa League group stage matches in Milan, but has so far only had one assist against Sparta Prague under his belt on the continent.