Osimhen’s Istanbul derby double moves him into Galatasaray’s top 10

Victor Osimhen scored twice as Galatasaray beat Fenerbahce 2-1 in the Istanbul derby on Monday 26 October, taking his Super Lig total to 49 goals and moving him into 10th place on the club’s all-time league scoring list.

The Super Eagles striker struck once in each half, scoring his first with a half-volley from inside the penalty area before heading in his second from an off-target shot, Afrik-Foot reported.

Irfan Can Kahveci scored a late consolation for Fenerbahce, but Galatasaray held on to move six points clear of their city rivals at the top of the Turkish Super League, according to Legit.ng.

The goals also took Osimhen’s total against Fenerbahce to three. Afrik-Foot says that matches Wesley Sneijder’s tally as the highest number scored by a foreign Galatasaray player in the fixture.

Soccernet had assessed Osimhen’s record against Fenerbahce in its preview of the derby before the match.

Osimhen climbs Galatasaray scoring chart

Osimhen has now scored 49 league goals in 59 Super Lig appearances for Galatasaray, according to a Transfermarkt-based ranking published by Afrik-Foot.

Hakan Sukur remains the club’s leading league scorer with 288 goals, while Tanju Colak is second on 116 and Arif Erdem third on 104.

Mauro Icardi and Burak Yılmaz have each scored 65 league goals for Galatasaray. Gheorghe Hagi is next on 59, followed by Necati Ates on 54.

Osimhen’s total rises to 68 goals in 83 appearances when all competitions are included, although the ranking only counts goals scored in the league.

The 49-goal mark gives Osimhen a scoring rate of roughly 0.83 goals per Super Lig game. He is five goals behind Ates and 10 short of Hagi, meaning both are within reach if he maintains anything close to his current rate. His progress, however, will depend on his fitness and how long he remains in Istanbul.

Sukur’s record of 288 is considerably further away and is not expected to be challenged for years. The more immediate long-term target is Colak’s second-place total of 116, which leaves Osimhen 67 goals short.

After the derby, Osimhen addressed the attention surrounding him before the match. In comments reported by Legit.ng, he said his focus was on the support of Galatasaray fans rather than discussion on social media. He also said he loved the club and would give everything for it.

The performance also came ahead of Nigeria’s next AFCON qualifiers against Tanzania in November. A striker scoring twice in the biggest match of the Turkish season is the kind of form Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle will want to see.

Soccernet has also examined the workload facing Chelle as he balances his responsibilities.