Nigeria Players Abroad
Osimhen scores again as Galatasaray suffer Villarreal defeat in final pre-season test
Victor Osimhen scored for the second successive match, but Galatasaray ended their pre-season campaign with a 2-1 defeat by Villarreal on Saturday.
The Nigeria international cancelled out Ayoze Perez’s early penalty, finding the net just two minutes after the Villarreal forward had put his side ahead from the spot in the third minute.
Galatasaray were unable to build on Osimhen’s equaliser, however, and Villarreal restored their advantage shortly before half-time. Georges Mikautadze scored with four minutes remaining in the opening period to settle the final pre-season fixture.
The result completed an underwhelming run of preparation for Galatasaray, who won only one of their five matches. They lost three games and drew one, with Osimhen providing a positive individual highlight in the closing stages.
The 26-year-old had also scored in Galatasaray’s previous match, converting one of their goals in a 3-3 draw against French Ligue 1 club Rennes last Sunday.
Galatasaray will now turn their attention to the start of their competitive campaign. They are due to face newly promoted Corum FK in the first round of the Turkish Super League next Friday.
Osimhen played a significant role in Galatasaray’s success last season, scoring 15 goals and supplying five assists in 22 appearances as the club won the Turkish Super Lig title.
It was the striker’s second league championship. He had previously won the title during his first season with Galatasaray in 2024/2025, when he was on loan from Napoli.
Osimhen’s future had been a prominent subject during the summer, but his goalscoring form has continued into the final stages of Galatasaray’s preparations. His latest effort came in a match in which the Turkish champions were ultimately unable to recover from Villarreal’s quick start.
The defeat means Galatasaray go into their league opener without the momentum they would have wanted from pre-season, although Osimhen has now scored in consecutive matches.
A separate report also described Osimhen as the ideal striker to replace Robert Lewandowski at Barca, with the assessment attributed to Andres Iniesta.
By James Agberebi
