Leo Ostigard has delivered his verdict on his defensive partnership with Brazilian center-back Nathan following a 4-0 thumping of Lecce. The Norwegian defender got off the mark in the Partenopei colors with a towering header to open the scoring.
More important than the goal was a clean sheet. Ostigard and Natan started together for the third consecutive Serie A game. After a goalless draw against Bologna and a 4-1 hammering of Udinese, they delivered another sterling performance, laying the foundation for a morale-boosting at Stadio Via del Mare.
Rudi Garcia’s brand-new center-back pairing already looks formidable. Napoli massively relied on Kim Min-jae last season. But after inspiring Partenopei to their first Scudetto in 33 years, the South Korea international left Serie A to embark on a new career at Bayern Munich.
Natan is still an unknown entity, with Napoli surprisingly choosing him to replace their former stalwart. But his partnership with Ostigard continues to grow with each round passing. Fresh off bagging his first Serie A goal, the 23-year-old spoke highly of his defensive comrade.
“It’s been working very well, me and him have a good relationship,” the Napoli center-back told DAZN, as quoted by TMW. “It’s not easy when playing with a new guy, we are both quite young, but he played a top game again today. It’s always a pleasure to play alongside him.“
Garcia’s defensive duo will face a stern test on Tuesday when Napoli and Real Madrid lock horns in a mouth-watering Champions League encounter at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
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