Victor Osimhen: Galatasaray deserved to advance despite Juventus defeat

Nigeria forward Victor Osimhen believes Juventus put up a good show but Galatasaray deserved to qualify to the Round of 16 of the Champions League on Wednesday.

Osimhen continued his outstanding form with the Turkish side, scoring a decisive goal to help them eliminate Juventus and adance.

Despite suffering a 3-2 defeat in the second leg in Turin, Galatasaray advanced 7-5 on aggregate, having secured a commanding 5-2 victory in the first leg at home.

 

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Juventus opened the scoring in the 36th minute through Manuel Locatelli from the penalty spot. However, the Italian side were dealt a major blow when Lloyd Kelly was sent off in the 48th minute, forcing them to continue with ten men.

Federico Gatti added a second goal in the 70th minute, before Weston McKennie struck in the 82nd minute to level the aggregate score at 5-5 and force extra time.

In the first half of extra time, Osimhen rose to the occasion. The Nigerian forward found the net in first-half stoppage time (105+2) after an assist from Barış Yılmaz, restoring Galatasaray’s aggregate advantage.

Galatasaray fans deserve this happiness

Speaking after the game, Osimhen told Galatasaray website: “This match was disappointing from the start. Congratulations to Juventus, they really pushed us hard. We knew this was a tough pitch.

“Even with 10 men, they pushed hard and scored two goals. I’m happy with my goal and what I did. We know we have a lot to work on. Juventus deserved to win, but we deserved to advance to the next round.”

The former Napoli forward added: “Even in the most difficult moments, the fans were with us. Galatasaray fans deserve this happiness to the fullest. Even when we were behind, they never stopped supporting us.

“We can say that we advanced to the next round thanks to them. We will continue to work. We need their support very much. We have a long way to go, but we are sure that they will be with us every step of the way.”

Osimhen was named man of the match

Osimhen, who was named man of the match, has now scored seven Champions League this campaign for Galatasaray. His goal saw him become Galatasaray’s all-time top foreign goalscorer in the Champions League.

 

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The Nigerian player surpassed Milan Baros (12) to become the foreign player with the most goals in European cups in Galatasaray history (13).

Osimhen scored his 7th goal in the Champions League and shared the title of the 4th highest scorer in the Champions League with Erling Haaland.

He became the player with the most shots on target in the Play-Off Round, alongside Kylian Mbappe, who is at the top of the scoring race with 13 goals (24).

Galatasaray will now face either Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur in the Round of 16 — marking their first appearance at this stage of Europe’s elite competition since the 2013-14 season.