Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen played a pivotal role in Galatasaray’s 3-1 triumph over PAOK FC in the newly-formatted UEFA Europa League, contributing two crucial assists and earning the Man-of-the-Match award. The Turkish giants continued their strong form as they overpowered their Greek rivals in front of an electrified home crowd.
Osimhen, who has been in excellent form, was on the verge of netting his first official goal for Galatasaray, but PAOK’s Ghanaian defender, Abdul Rahman Baba, inadvertently turned his header into an own goal. The match, held at the Türk Telekom Arena, saw Galatasaray dominate much of the first half, with Osimhen consistently pressuring the PAOK defense.
The second half began with Galatasaray maintaining their momentum, and three minutes after the restart, Osimhen’s header from a corner kick was deflected into the net by a distraught Baba Rahman, giving Galatasaray the lead. Despite a brief equalizer from PAOK’s Giannis Konstantelias, Osimhen’s second assist, a well-placed header in the 76th minute, set up Yunus Akgün to restore Galatasaray’s lead. Mauro Icardi sealed the victory with a brilliant third goal deep into injury time.
Meanwhile, fellow Nigerian international Fisayo Dele-Bashiru contributed to Lazio’s dominant 3-0 win over Dynamo Kyiv, scoring a superb goal as the Italian side cruised to victory.
