Victor Osimhen’s breathtaking goalscoring run continued on Friday as the Nigerian striker scored again for Galatasaray, but his latest strike was followed by an injury setback that could concern both his club and the Super Eagles.
The 27-year-old scored in the 16th minute against İstanbul Başakşehir to give Galatasaray an early lead, taking his tally to six goals in four league appearances this season.
But Osimhen could not complete the match. After just 33 minutes, the striker was substituted, with Barış Alper Yılmaz coming on. Reports immediately described the issue as a suspected muscle injury. There has been speculation about a groin problem, but no official Galatasaray medical statement confirming a groin injury had been located at the time of publication. That distinction is important, particularly with Nigeria’s AFCON qualifying campaign approaching.
Despite losing their leading scorer early, Galatasaray eventually secured a thrilling 3-2 victory. Başakşehir equalised through Shomurodov’s penalty in the 66th minute, but Torreira restored Galatasaray’s advantage five minutes later.
The hosts levelled again in the 76th minute when Sánchez put through his own net, setting up a tense final quarter. With the match heading towards a draw, Gabriel Sara struck in the 90th minute to give Galatasaray a dramatic away victory.
The victory means Galatasaray have won all four of their opening league matches.
Osimhen’s start to the season has been exceptional. He had entered the Başakşehir match with five goals and two assists from his first three league appearances. The latest goal moved him to six league goals in four matches.
The injury comes at an especially sensitive time for the Super Eagles. CAF’s official fixture announcement has Nigeria opening its 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign against Madagascar on September 25, followed four days later by an away Group L meeting with Guinea-Bissau on September 29.
Nigeria’s qualification route is particularly unforgiving because Tanzania, one of the tournament’s three co-hosts, is automatically qualified. CAF says only the highest-placed non-host in Group L will join Tanzania at the finals.
Osimhen’s availability could therefore become a major issue for Eric Chelle’s side. The Super Eagles need their leading striker fit and firing, and at club level Galatasaray will equally want their most prolific attacker available for the challenges ahead.
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