Hellas Verona defender Armel Bella-Kotchap has praised Gift Orban following the striker’s impressive brace that secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Fiorentina on Sunday, SportPremi reports.
The Nigerian forward was the star of the show as he netted twice in the encounter, including a stoppage-time winner to give his side a second straight league win.
The Yellow and Blues also moved up to 18th on the standings with 12 points from their opening 15 matches, as they hope to continue their recent impressive display.
Orban the hero in Verona win
Hellas Verona had recorded their first win of the season in the previous match-day, defeating Atalanta 3-1 and were eyeing another giant-killing win against Fiorentina.
They had the first real chance of the game as Antoine Bernede struck the crossbar with a thumping effort, before Fiorentina’s Moise Kean was denied by a brilliant stop by the Verona goalkeeper.
Gift Orban who had started the game on the bench, entered the fray in the 35th minute for Giovane and took only seven minutes to make an impact with the opener of the game.
The 23-year-old received a pass from Al Musrati after a swift break, before firing past David de Gea from outside the area.
Fiorentina equalized in the second half in fortuitous manner after Kean’s shot was blocked, but the ball hit Unai Nunez and went into the back of the net.
Both sides had several efforts to grab a winner, but it was Hellas Verona who snatched victory at the death.
The impressive Orban was on hand to tap home a cross from Bernede in stoppage-time, giving his side a 2-1 victory.
It was their second win of the season as they moved up to 18th, while Fiorentina remained bottom of the standings.
Bella-Kotchap hails Orban’s performance
Nigerian striker Gift Orban was left out of the country’s squad for the 2025 African Cup of Nations in Morocco, but will hope to build on this impressive showing for Hellas Verona.
Speaking after the massive victory, defender Bella-Kotchap was full of praise for the 23-year-old striker and also hailed the overall team performance.
“I’m really happy for him (Orban). He was exceptional, played a very important match and helped us win with his two goals. He, like the whole team, must continue like this”, the French-born defender said.
“We worked as a team. Each of my teammates did the right job for this victory, and we want to continue like this.”
Hellas Verona will next be in action against AC Milan at the iconic San Siro on the 28th of December, as Orban will be eyeing another heroic display for his side.
Fiorentina, on the other hand, will head to Switzerland in midweek to face Lausanne in the UECL action, before facing Udinese next Sunday.
