Osimhen’s goal not enough as Galatasaray crash out of Europa League

By Dayo Awoniyi

Victor Osimhen’s 20th goal of the season was not enough to prevent Galatasaray’s elimination from the UEFA Europa League as they were held to a dramatic 2-2 draw at home by AZ Alkmaar on Thursday.

The Turkish giants, trailing 1-4 from the first leg, fought valiantly but couldn’t overcome the deficit, ultimately succumbing to a 3-6 aggregate defeat.

Osimhen opened the scoring for Galatasaray in the 45th minute, giving them a glimmer of hope.

However, AZ Alkmaar mounted a late comeback, with Vangelis Pavlidis scoring in the 84th minute and Zakaria Aboukhlal adding another in the 89th minute to put the Dutch side in control.

Galatasaray managed to equalize in the 90th minute through Kerem Aktürkoglu’s strike, but it was too little, too late.

Despite the disappointment, Osimhen’s form remains a bright spot for the Turkish side.

In 25 appearances this season, the Nigerian striker has netted 20 goals and provided 5 assists, solidifying his reputation as one of the top forwards in European football.

Unfortunately, his goal-scoring heroics couldn’t keep Galatasaray’s European hopes alive this season.