Ex Besiktas Star Gives Reason Victor Osimhen Didn’t Score on Galatasaray Debut

Ex Besiktas Star Gives Reason Victor Osimhen Didn’t Score on Galatasaray Debut

  • Nigerian star Victor Osimhen played the full 90 minutes on his Galatasaray debut and provided an assist
  • Osimhen almost scored, but his goal-bound header was touched by teammate Abdulkerim Bardakci
  • A former Besiktas star has explained why the Super Eagles star failed to score on his debut for the Turkish giants

Victor Osimhen played the full 90 minutes on his Galatasaray debut but failed to get on the scoresheet, and a former Besiktas forward explained why.

Osimhen joined the Turkish champions weeks ago on a season-long after his proposed move to top European sides Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain and Saudi club Al-Ahli collapsed.

Victor Osimhen celebrating Galatasaray's 5-0 victory over Rizespor.
Victor Osimhen waves the Galatasaray flag to the fans after the 5-0 win over Rizespor. Photo by Ahmad Mora.
Source: Getty Images

He immediately headed out for the international break with Nigeria, scoring in the Super Eagles’ 3-0 win over Benin Republic three minutes after coming on.

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He returned to Turkey on Thursday, and despite training twice, manager Okan Buruk trusted him to start and play for full minutes in the absence of Mauro Icardi.

Why Osimhen did not score on debut

The Nigerian thought he had doubled Galatasaray’s lead against Rizespor on Saturday at the 25th minute, but Abdulkerim Bardakci was later adjudged to have gotten a touch.

Former Besiktas winger Nihat Kahveci has analysed Osimhen’s attributes and pointed out why he thinks the former LOSC Lille star did not get on the scoresheet.

“I didn’t see Osimhen as lacking in physicality. He showed what an athletic player he is. I saw his jumping advantage in all the cut balls,” he told Yenisafak as quoted by Complete Sports.
“Goals were expected from Osimhen. Batshuayi gave him a very nice pass, I think he hit the ball correctly with the inside of his foot and the goalkeeper saved it. Apart from that, did he get into many clear positions? Galatasaray players did not get him into many positions like that.”

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Besiktas legend names most impressive quality of Victor Osimhen after Galatasaray debut

“Osimhen scores a lot of goals. He searches a lot, he is very active. He is always involved. If you create more positions for him, he will score a lot of goals in Galatasaray,” he concluded.

The Napoli star has limited time to make an impact in Turkey, as he could be on the move again in January after Football Italia reported that he has a break clause for 10 clubs in the winter window.

Osimhen's message to Galatasaray fans

Legit.ng reported that Osimhen sent a message to Galatasaray fans after playing 90 minutes on his debut in that 5-0 win over Rizespor at the RAMS Stadium.

The striker got an assist and shared moments with the Gala ultras, who took him to their midst to do the trademark Galatasaray dance, and he expressed appreciation on social media.

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Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Elijah Odetokun avatar

Elijah Odetokun (Sports Editor) Elijah Odetokun is a Nigerian sports editor at Legit NG. He has four years of working experience having previously worked at Daily Times Nigeria (August 2020 - September 2020), OmaSports (December 2020 - June 2021), El Futbolero (July 2021; September 2021- November 2021), and Sports Brief (November 2022 - July 2024). He is a press conference and interview specialist and has attended trainings held by Reuters, AIPS, and FIJ. He holds a Bachelor of Agriculture (2021) from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. Reach me via elijah.odetokun@sportsbrief.com