Former referee Ahmet Cakar backs Victor Osimhen after Galatasaray’s Barcelona loss

Former Turkish referee Ahmet Cakar has defended Victor Osimhen after the Galatasaray striker struggled during Tuesday’s 4-1 defeat by Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League.

Osimhen started at Rams Park and completed the full 90 minutes, having only recently returned from an injury layoff. The Nigeria international, however, was unable to make a significant impact as Galatasaray suffered a heavy home defeat.

He was repeatedly caught offside as Barcelona’s high defensive line limited his opportunities. His performance prompted criticism from supporters and pundits, with questions raised over whether he was fully ready to return to action.

Cakar said Osimhen’s fitness and the lack of quality service from his team-mates had contributed to his difficult evening.

“Osimhen, you know, he could play for any team in the world, he’d be the top scorer in the Premier League,” Cakar said on the Libero TV YouTube channel, via Habersarikirmizi.

“I didn’t see anything like that in this match. I admit, he’s just recovered from injury, but what kind of performance did the team give him that he should play like that?”

The former referee’s comments came after Osimhen had made an impressive start to the campaign before his injury. He scored six goals and provided two assists in four league appearances.

The 27-year-old also continued to contribute after returning from the injury layoff, setting up a goal in Galatasaray’s 3-1 victory over Kasimpasa.

Against Barcelona, though, Galatasaray struggled to provide him with the service needed to threaten the visitors’ defence, while the Nigerian forward found it difficult to exploit the space behind the high defensive line.