Victor Osimhen put on a show in the freezing east, and Galatasaray danced away with all three points.
The Nigerian striker scored twice and set up another as the Yellow-Reds ripped through Erzurumspor FK 4-0 at Kazım Karabekir Stadyumu on Thursday, opening their away campaign with a statement.
Galatasaray came out hunting and struck early. Just 12 minutes in, Roland Sallai met a corner with a venomous left-footed volley that screamed into the net.
The hosts barely had time to breathe before Osimhen turned creator. He danced through, picked out Yunus Akgün, and the winger slotted home to make it 2-0.
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Then came the Osimhen moment everyone waited for. On the stroke of half-time, the Super Eagles star latched onto a loose ball, composed himself, and fired a clinical right-footed strike to send the Lions into the break 3-0 up. Erzurumspor tried to rally after the restart.
Their fans roared, their subs ran hard, but the final ball kept dying in Galatasaray’s wall.The coup de grâce arrived on 80 minutes.
Gabriel Sara threaded a perfect pass, and Osimhen was gone. One touch, one finish, low and central. 4-0.
His second goal, his third direct contribution of the night.
The stats told the same story of dominance. Despite possession being almost even at 51-49, Galatasaray created 2.56 xG to Erzurumspor’s 0.49 and carved out four big chances to zero.
Referee Cagdas Altay only needed one yellow card all night. By full time, Galatasaray had turned a tough away trip into a parade — with Osimhen leading the song.
