Nigeria international Victor Osimhen endured a difficult night in the Istanbul derby, with respected Turkish sports analyst Emre Bol delivering a scathing assessment of the striker’s performance during Galatasaray’s 2-1 loss to Besiktas.
Bol stated that Osimhen struggled significantly against his direct marker, Gabriel Paulista.
For the first time as a Galatasaray player, the Napoli loanee ended up on the losing side in a Super Lig game.
With four shots failing to hit the target and a passing accuracy of just 50 percent, Osimhen’s disappointing display against Besiktas was evident.
Against a well-organized defensive unit, Osimhen struggled to find his rhythm, as Paulista’s disciplined marking and physicality effectively neutralized his threat, leaving him unable to influence the game as expected.
Back home in Nigeria, much of the discussion before the derby revolved around his availability after he suffered an injury scare in the second half of the Super Eagles’ 1-1 draw with Zimbabwe last Tuesday.
However, the former African Footballer of the Year received the medical green light to take to the pitch against the Black Eagles and even went the distance.
“Paulista defended Victor Osimhen very well. Osimhen played his worst match since his arrival. The Antalyaspor victory also misled Galatasaray fans,” Bol said.
After former Arsenal man Lucas Torreira cancelled out Rafa’s effort, Gedson Fernandes tapped in what proved to be the winning goal in the 66th minute.