Nigerian forward Paul Onuachu finally broke his long-standing duck against Galatasaray, finding the net as Trabzonspor faced the league leaders at Papara Park on Saturday.
The towering striker made his presence count in the air, powering home a well-delivered cross from Wagner Pina, who had earlier outpaced Ismail Jakobs on the right before sending in a precise ball. It marked the first time Onuachu has scored against the Istanbul giants after several previous attempts.
The goal further strengthens the 31-year-old’s remarkable campaign, taking his Süper Lig tally to 22 and keeping him comfortably ahead in the race for the golden boot. Istanbul Basaksehir’s Eldor Shomurodov remains his closest challenger with 16 goals.
With this strike, Onuachu has now scored against all of Turkey’s traditional heavyweights, having already registered goals against both Fenerbahce and Besiktas in earlier meetings.
Galatasaray, however, were missing key attacking options. Victor Osimhen was sidelined due to a fractured forearm suffered in a Champions League clash with Liverpool, while Leroy Sane served a suspension and Gabriel Sara was unavailable following an ankle injury.
Prior to this encounter, Galatasaray had been one of the few teams to consistently keep Onuachu quiet, alongside Adana Demirspor and Eyupspor. The Nigerian clearly had that record in mind and seized his opportunity after the international break.
