Victor Osimhen made a triumphant return from a groin injury on Friday, setting up a late goal to cap off Galatasaray’s dramatic 3-1 home triumph over Kasımpaşa. The Nigerian striker, sidelined since early September after hurting his right adductor against İstanbul Başakşehir, entered as a second-half substitute to inspire his team in a hard-fought Turkish Süper Lig battle.
The contest opened in favor of the hosts just before halftime when center-back Abdülkerim Bardakcı rose to meet Aleksey Batrakov’s dangerous dead-ball delivery, nodding the Istanbul giants into a 45th-minute lead.
Disaster struck for the home side mid-way through the second period when Lucas Torreira was dismissed following a video review that deemed his foul stopped a clear scoring chance. Exploiting the numerical mismatch almost instantly, Jesurun Rak-Sakyi punished a botched defensive clearance from a corner kick to pull the visitors level.
Refusing to settle for a draw, ten-man Galatasaray restored their advantage in the 90th minute as Barış Alper Yılmaz produced a crucial late strike. Moments later into added time, Osimhen orchestrated the final blow, unselfishly teeing up Mario Lemina to put the match completely out of reach.
The vital home victory elevates Galatasaray back to the summit of the standings with 16 points, simultaneously dealing Kasımpaşa their initial loss of the season. Osimhen’s timely resurgence delivers a massive psychological lift for the club as they gear up for a high-profile UEFA Champions League showdown against Barcelona.
You Might Also Like
