Victor Osimhen scored in the 61st minute as Galatasaray beat Lille 4-2 at Stade Pierre-Mauroy on Wednesday, 21 October, in the Champions League league phase. It was his first Champions League goal of the season. It also gave the Turkish champions their first points, and he held back from a full celebration, making a heart sign with his hands instead.
A goal he chose not to enjoy
The evening opened at a frantic pace. Yunus Akgün put Galatasaray ahead inside two minutes. Lille's 19-year-old Soriba Diaoune replied on seven minutes, then struck again on 39 to put the home side in front. Lille were rattling.
Aleksey Batrakov headed the visitors level just before half-time from a Roland Sallai cross. Seven minutes after the break they led 3-2, from a corner that match reports credit differently. Nobody was safe.
Then came the Nigerian.
Galatasaray broke quickly. Barış Alper Yılmaz found him on the edge of the area, and Osimhen finished with his right foot from the centre of the box. No mask. No dance. Pulse Sports described his raised hands towards the away end as an apology to his former club, while Africa Soccer reported that he also made a heart shape with his fingers towards the Lille supporters.
He went off in the closing minutes to a standing ovation from both sets of fans.
Not a flawless night, though. Afrik-Foot's breakdown credited him with four shots, one on target, and the only big chance missed by any player. A penalty he appeared to win was overturned by VAR. Still, Legit.ng, citing Opta, reported that this was his 14th goal in European competition for Galatasaray, which would make him the club's highest-scoring foreign player in Europe, ahead of Milan Baroš and Shabani Nonda.
Why Lille still matters to him
Lille were the club that turned Osimhen into an elite European striker. He scored 18 goals in 38 appearances for them in 2019-20. That one season, played out in a Ligue 1 campaign cut short by the pandemic, earned him the move to Napoli. The bond is real.
Wednesday's win also eased real pressure on Okan Buruk's side. They had lost 3-1 at Sporting and 4-1 at home to Barcelona, a night covered in our report on Galatasaray's heavy defeat to Barcelona. According to Afrik-Foot, they have now climbed off the bottom of the 36-team table and sit provisionally 24th. Lille, coached by Bruno Genesio, remain pointless after three games. Big swing.
What it means for the Super Eagles
Good news for Eric Chelle. Nigeria host Tanzania on 11 November in an AFCON 2027 qualifier, and nobody in the squad offers what Osimhen does in the box.
He played 85 minutes in France. With the international window three weeks away, that is a useful marker of his fitness, and the details of the fixture are in our piece on the Uyo qualifier against Tanzania.
Chelle will want more of the same.
This article was most recently revised and updated 8 seconds ago
