Victor Osimhen Explains Why He Did Not Celebrate His Goal Against Juventus
- Victor Osimhen has explained why he did not celebrate his UEFA Champions League goal against Juventus
- Osimhen’s 106th-minute goal sparked Galatasaray’s comeback after throwing away a three-goal lead against Juve
- Galatasaray survived against a resurgent Juventus to reach the Round of 16 of this season's Champions League
Victor Osimhen has opened up about why he did not celebrate after scoring Galatasaray’s first goal against Juventus on February 25, 2026.
Galatasaray reached the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League Round of 16 after beating Italian Serie A giants Juventus 7-5 on aggregate over two legs.
Source: Getty Images
The Turkish champions surprisingly beat the Old Lady 5-2 in the first leg in Istanbul, setting up a classic second leg at the Allianz Stadium in Turin.
Luciano Spalletti’s side roared back with a 3-0 win in the 90 minutes of the second leg to make it 5-5 on aggregate and push the match into extra time.
Osimhen, who overcame an injury to play, put Galatasaray ahead in the additional minutes of the first half of extra time before Baris Alper Yilmaz added the second to seal progress.
Why Osimhen didn't celebrate
Victor Osimhen refused to celebrate his goal, and when asked during the post-match conference, he claimed it was out of respect for Spalletti and due to Galatasaray's poor performance.
“I didn't celebrate the goal because there was no need to. Spalletti has an important place in my career, and besides, we were playing poorly against an opponent down to 10 men,” he said as quoted by Nexus Sport.
The Super Eagles forward expressed further displeasure at his team’s performance and urged for improvement in subsequent games if they want to go far in the competition.
“I'm disappointed in the performance of the team, the whole team, and I have to give kudos to Juventus for the kind of display that they put on,” he told CBS Sports Golazo.
“Yeah, we qualified, but we have a lot to improve on if we are to go into the next round and play the big teams. This performance today was not really good. Juventus deserved the win, but I'm happy for my team to qualify for the next round.”
Osimhen was named the official man of the match, and he dedicated the victory to the travelling fans, whom he acknowledged were with the team in difficult moments.
“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,” he told GS TV.
Source: Getty Images
“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.”
The draw for the knockout stage will be held on Friday, and according to Fanatik, the Lions could face one of the English clubs, Tottenham or Liverpool, in the next round.
Thierry Henry greets Osimhen in pidgin
Legit.ng reported that fans reacted after Thierry Henry greeted Osimhen in pidgin before his post-match interview with CBS Sports.
The Arsenal legend drew the Super Eagles star’s attention before asking about his mentality, which is one of the driving forces in his career.
Source: Legit.ng
