Victor Osimhen made a thrilling comeback to Galatasaray’s starting lineup after a month out, marking his return in the UEFA Champions League with a goal – www.naijnaira.com reports.
The striker, who had been sidelined with an ankle injury, was given the chance to make his mark from the penalty spot against Liverpool.
He showed no hesitation, sending Alisson Becker the wrong way as his strike leveled the tension-packed clash in Istanbul.
Osimhen’s penalty came after a VAR review confirmed a handball by Dominik Szoboslai, who had caught Baris Yilmaz in the face during a tussle.
Although he only lasted 72 minutes on the pitch, the Nigerian forward used that time to etch his name into history.
His finish was his 10th in the UEFA Champions League proper, moving him past Obafemi Martins, who previously held the record with nine goals.
This means Osimhen now holds the crown as the Nigerian with the most goals in the competition.
Interestingly, while Martins also boasts 10 goals, one of his came in the qualifiers, leaving Osimhen’s tally as the highest in the tournament itself.
The current top scorers list includes Julius Aghahowa with seven, Emmanuel Emenike with seven, and Yakubu Ayegbeni also with seven from just nine games.
Other Nigerians who made their mark include Ahmed Musa with six, Brown Ideye with five, Nwankwo Kanu with five, and Emmanuel Dennis also on five goals.
Osimhen’s achievement underlines his growing reputation in Europe, especially after scoring against a six-time Champions League-winning side like Liverpool.
As he celebrated with Mauro Icardi and teammates, it felt like the moment Nigeria’s new king of European football finally took his throne.
Article updated 1 day ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
