Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen endured a frustrating night as Galatasaray suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat to Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League, despite taking an early lead in front of their home supporters, Trybal News reports.
Osimhen, who returned from injury last week and immediately registered an assist in Galatasaray’s Turkish league victory over Kasımpaşa, struggled to make a decisive impact against the Spanish giants.
The Nigerian striker, however, came close to contributing to a second goal for the hosts in the 34th minute. Osimhen rose to meet a corner kick from Aleksey Batrakov and headed the ball towards goal, before Barış Alper Yılmaz helped direct it into the net.
Galatasaray’s celebrations were short-lived as a VAR review ruled out the goal for offside, denying Osimhen what appeared to be an assist and keeping Barcelona within a goal of their hosts. The decision proved significant as the visitors subsequently fought their way back into the contest.
Galatasaray had taken the lead through Batrakov in the 29th minute, but João Cancelo restored parity for Barcelona shortly before half-time, finishing after Dani Olmo helped create the opportunity.
Barcelona took control after the restart, with Lamine Yamal providing two assists in a devastating three-minute spell. The teenager set up Fermín López in the 50th minute before creating another opportunity for Anthony Gordon three minutes later, putting the visitors 3-1 ahead.
Karim Adeyemi completed the scoring in the 65th minute to seal an emphatic comeback for the Catalan side.
While Barcelona celebrated another impressive European performance, Osimhen was left frustrated after failing to find the net against the Spanish champions. His disallowed contribution was a brief moment of hope on an otherwise difficult night for the Nigerian forward.
The striker last scored against Barcelona while representing Napoli in a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie on February 21, 2024.
For Galatasaray, the defeat will be particularly disappointing after their promising start, while Barcelona demonstrated their attacking quality and ability to punish missed opportunities.
