Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen has admitted he was disappointed with Galatasaray’s overall performance despite their dramatic qualification for the UEFA Champions League Round of 16.
The Turkish champions advanced 7-5 on aggregate after a thrilling 3-2 extra-time defeat to Juventus in the playoff second leg. Galatasaray arrived in Turin with a commanding 5-2 first-leg advantage, but Juventus produced a stunning comeback to lead 3-0 after 90 minutes, forcing extra time.
Manuel Locatelli opened the scoring from the penalty spot before Federico Gatti and Weston McKennie added further goals to level the tie at 5-5 on aggregate. Despite being reduced to ten men earlier in the second half, Juventus pushed relentlessly and nearly completed an incredible turnaround.
However, Osimhen once again proved decisive. Just seconds before the end of the first half of extra time, Baris Alper Yilmaz found the Nigerian striker inside the box, and he calmly slotted the ball through the goalkeeper’s legs to restore Galatasaray’s aggregate lead. Yilmaz later added another goal to seal qualification for the visitors.
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Speaking to CBS Sports after the match, Osimhen did not hide his feelings about the team’s display.
“I am disappointed with the performance of the whole team and I have to give kudos to Juventus for the kind of display that they put on. Yeah, we qualified, but I think we have a lot to put on if we have to go into the next round and play the big dogs,” he said.
“This performance today was not really good. I think Juventus deserves the win, but I’m happy for my team to qualify for the next round.”
Galatasaray will now await Friday’s draw to discover their Round of 16 opponents, knowing significant improvement will be required against Europe’s elite.
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