Osimhen Scores Against Former Club as Galatasaray Beat Lille 4-2
By Akin Alade
Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen delivered another outstanding performance on the European stage, scoring against his former club Lille as Turkish champions Galatasaray secured a dramatic 4-2 away victory in Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League encounter in France.
The Nigerian international struck in the 61st minute to seal Galatasaray’s first victory of the 2026/2027 Champions League campaign, ending a disappointing start to the competition. Despite scoring against the French side, Osimhen refused to celebrate, demonstrating respect for the club where he established himself as one of Europe’s promising strikers.
Galatasaray opened the scoring through Yunus Akgün in the second minute, but Lille responded through 19-year-old Soriba Diaoune, who equalised in the seventh minute before completing his brace in the 39th minute. Aleksey Batrakov restored parity for the Turkish visitors shortly before halftime, leaving the encounter delicately balanced at 2-2.
The second half witnessed a remarkable turnaround as Galatasaray regained the advantage in the 52nd minute when Lucas Torreira’s header resulted in an own goal credited to Lille goalkeeper Berke Özer. Nine minutes later, Osimhen combined brilliantly with Barış Alper Yılmaz before firing past the goalkeeper to extend the visitors’ lead to 4-2.
Osimhen, who previously represented Lille during the 2019/2020 season before joining Napoli, received warm applause from the home supporters when he was substituted in the closing stages. His impressive display earned him the Man of the Match award, further underlining his importance to Galatasaray’s European ambitions.
The victory revived Galatasaray’s hopes of progressing to the Champions League knockout phase after losing their opening two matches, while Lille remained without a point after three games. For Nigerian football supporters, Osimhen’s decisive contribution provided another reminder of his quality, consistency and growing influence in European football.
