Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen featured prominently as his Galatasaray side claimed a dominant 5-2 victory over Juventus at Rams Park, Soccernet.ng reports.
Osimhen led the line for the Cimbom as they welcomed Italian giants Juventus to Istanbul for the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 playoffs.
The game carried high stakes, and both teams came out with guns blazing. After a fast start, the Cimbom opened the scoring in the 15th minute, courtesy of Gabriel Sara.
However, the Old Lady roared back, with two strikes from Teun Koopmeiners turning the tie on its head to make it 2-1 going into the half.
The second half was where the true drama unfolded, and it was during this period that Osimhen made his presence felt. Galatasaray regained the lead within the opening 15 minutes of the half, thanks to goals from Noa Lang and Davinson Sánchez.
Things then took a turn for the worse for Juventus as they were reduced to ten men after Juan Cabal was sent off for a second bookable offense. From that point on, the Turkish giants took full control.
Victor Osimhen’s Superpower on Full Display
Over the years, Super Eagles striker Osimhen has not just made a name for himself through goals; he has also developed a reputation as a relentless predator on the pitch.
His ability to force mistakes from defenders and goalkeepers by bullying them or hunting them down with pure predatory instinct is well known.
Apparently, the Juventus defenders may have forgotten this, as they fell victim to the Nigerian twice.
Galatasaray scored their fourth in the 75th minute, and it was all down to Osimhen. He picked the pocket of Lloyd Kelly after the defender received a poor pass from Khéphren Thuram and laid it off to Lang in front of goal. The Dutchman couldn’t miss from such close range, chipping the goalkeeper to make it 4-2.
Eleven minutes later, the Cimbom struck again, with Osimhen once more heavily involved. He wrestled Thuram for the ball after another poor pass into the box.
The ball eventually fell kindly for Sacha Boey, who fired a wicked shot from a tight angle to make it 5-2. The game eventually ended that way.
Osimhen played the full 90 minutes, and while he did not get many clear-cut chances to score himself, he made a massive impact by working tirelessly to affect the game from the front.
Galatasaray vs Juventus Highlights
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Still Work to Do for Galatasaray
Despite the 5-2 victory, Galatasaray still have a lot of work to do. Next week, they travel to Turin to face Juventus in the return leg.
The Turkish side simply needs to avoid a loss by a three-goal margin to progress to the round of 16.
They will be counting on Osimhen to deliver the goods once again. However, next time, the Super Eagles star will be looking to add goals to his performance.
Having spent four years of his career in Italy, he understands the turf very well, and perhaps that experience will count in his favor.
