Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen marked his return from injury in style, scoring as Galatasaray cruised to a dominant 3-0 win over fierce rivals Fenerbahçe in the Istanbul derby.
The Nigerian striker, who had been sidelined with an arm injury, looked sharp from the outset at Rams Park, playing with intensity and purpose as both sides battled in a high-stakes clash with major title implications.
Fenerbahçe nearly struck first in the 14th minute after being awarded a penalty when Davinson Sánchez was penalised for a foul in the box.
However, Anderson Talisca squandered the opportunity, dragging his effort wide to hand Galatasaray an early escape.
Osimhen remained a constant threat, pressing aggressively and getting into dangerous areas.
His persistence paid off in the 40th minute when he reacted quickest to a flick from Mario Lemina, cleverly controlling the ball with his head before guiding it into the net with his thigh to break the deadlock.
Galatasaray carried their dominance into the second half and thought they had doubled their lead through Lucas Torreira, but the effort was ruled out for offside after a VAR check.
The hosts eventually extended their lead in the 67th minute after Yunus Akgün was fouled in the area.
With Fenerbahçe reduced to 10 men following the dismissal of their goalkeeper, Barış Alper Yılmaz stepped up and calmly converted the penalty to make it 2-0.
Torreira later got on the scoresheet in the 83rd minute, capitalising on a defensive lapse to seal an emphatic victory for the league leaders.
Osimhen’s evening ended with a late booking after a brief altercation, but it did little to overshadow his impactful return.
The result leaves Galatasaray firmly in control of the Süper Lig title race, opening up a seven-point lead over Fenerbahçe with just three matches remaining.
A single victory from their remaining fixtures will be enough to confirm Galatasaray as champions, which would see Osimhen secure back-to-back league titles with the club.
It would also represent the third league crown of his career, adding to his historic Serie A triumph with Napoli in 2023 and last season’s Süper Lig success.
