MILAN: Victor Osimhen scored twice as Napoli beat Spezia 4-1 to move second in Serie A on Saturday to keep in the chase for a return to Champions League football next season.

Piotr Zielinski had opened the scoring after a quarter of an hour against the Ligurian side with Osimhen getting two more in the first half and then setting up Hirving Lozano for a fourth with 11 minutes to go.

Napoli are one-point ahead of three teams — Atalanta, Juventus and AC Milan — who are tied on 69 points before they play this weekend.

Gennaro Gattuso’s side had lost 2-1 to Spezia in Naples back in January, but hit back against the relegation-threatened side to extend their unbeaten run to 12 consecutive games. Polish midfielder Zielinski finished off a Giovanni Di Lorenzo pull-back after 15 minutes and then provided the cross for Nigerian international Osimhen to score the second eight minutes later.

The Nigerian completed his first Serie A brace off a Lorenzo Insigne free-kick just before the break to bring his tally to seven goals in as many games.

The 22-year-old has scored a total of 10 goals in 21 games played this campaign.

Roberto Piccoli pulled a goal back for Spezia after an hour but Osimhen was on hand to roll the ball across for Lozano. The goal was confirmed after a VAR viewing.

Napoli lost all-time record goalscorer Dries Mertens to an ankle injury in the second-half just seven minutes after the Belgian came off the bench.