Former African Footballer of the Year Victor Osimhen has etched his name in history as the highest-scoring Nigerian in the UEFA Champions League.
The striker reached this milestone with his match-winning heroics in Galatasaray’s 1-0 victory over reigning Premier League champions Liverpool at Istanbul’s Rams Park.
After Dominik Szoboszlai was penalized for a foul on Barıs Alper Yılmaz, Osimhen calmly converted from the spot to beat goalkeeper Alisson.
The former Napoli striker’s strike took his tally to 10 goals in the competition proper excluding qualifying rounds, surpassing former Inter Milan star Obafemi Martins by one.
Despite relentless attacking pressure, Turkish champions Galatasaray held on to claim all three points, thanks to a 16th-minute strike, bouncing back to winning ways after their humiliating 5-1 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt on opening day.
Osimhen expressed his joy at both the goal and the victory, while also praising Arne Slot’s side for pushing his team to the limit.
"I’m extremely happy about the performance we put in against one of the greatest clubs in the world," the Super Eagle told CBS Sports.
"For us, we never get carried away because this is a true test that Liverpool gave to us. I’m really happy about this win.
"It won’t take away that they are one of the best (teams) in the last decade. For us, it’s a really big motivation for us. They made us even better and we know we have a lot of things to work on.
"I’m really happy for this win and the team."
Osimhen also explained how he stayed calm under pressure to successfully convert the penalty.
"You come face-to-face with one of the best goalkeepers in the world, Alisson," he continued.
"I have to be on high concentration for the place where I want to put the ball and I didn’t change it.
"For me, it’s a huge moment. I came up against him when I played for my previous club and he stopped my penalty so I needed to be highly concentrated to do better.
"We have quality in our team and we just need to be focused in many games in this competition. This is a huge step for us and we won’t be carried away because we beat Liverpool. It’s a big motivation."
Galatasaray will host Bodo/Glimt in their next fixture on October 22, while Liverpool will be hoping to get back to winning ways on the same day at Eintracht Frankfurt.
