Galatasaray Coach Admits Osimhen a Major Miss Last Night

*Omorodion scores brace in FC Porto’s 3-3 draw with Red Devils

Galatasaray admitted missing injured Victor Osimhen in last night’s UEFA Europa League clash at Latvian club Rigas FS that ended 2-2.

The Turkish Lig giants were forced from two goals up to the draw, with Osimhen’s pacy play conspicuously missing.

The Nigerian international who is a Napoli loanee in the Turkish capital is nursing a muscle injury from a league match against Kenneth Omeruo’s Kasimpasa.

Galatasaray coach, Okan Buruk, admitted even before the match that Osimhen was going to be a major absentee for his team, but believed the other players were going to step up their games in his absence. The coach was let down with the draw result.

“We have a good squad. The players coming from the bench are also strong players. We have a major absence like Victor Osimhen, but there are still very valuable and important players on the bench,” Buruk had hoped before the kickoff.

He stressed that it was his wish to continue on the winning line since Osimhen joined Galatasaray.

“It is an important match, we want to continue by winning. We are playing away, an environment that our opponents are more familiar with we want to show our own game quality.

“The favorite of the match is Galatasaray. We need to play with the same fighting power.”

Osimhen who because of the hamstring injury will now be a major doubt in Nigeria’s AFCON 2025 qualifiers to Libya, however took to Instagram to wish the team the best in the game. “Good luck guys,” he posted before the 2-2 draw result last night.

Elsewhere, Harry Maguire rescued a dramatic 3-3 draw for 10-man Manchester United after they had surrendered a two-goal lead – and had Bruno Fernandes sent off – at Porto in the Europa League.

Nigerian-born Spain forward, Samuel Omorodion, was on cruise control as he scored a brace in FC Porto’s three goals

The Europa League match saw Marcus Rashford give Erik ten Hag’s side a dream start early on before Rasmus Hojlund’s first goal of the season doubled that advantage.

The momentum however left and allowed Porto back into the game, with Pepe and Omorodion both on the score sheet to make it 2-2 by half-time.

Omorodion, who nearly joined Chelsea in the summer, then put Porto into the lead as United conceded three goals for the third time in just ten games this season.

Things looked to go from bad to worse when Bruno Fernandes, playing in his home city, was sent off for the second game running. But Maguire’s late header ensured United remained unbeaten in Europe after two matchdays and slightly suppressed the enormous pressure building on Ten Hag.

RESULTS

Ferencvaros 1-2 Tottenham

Hoffenheim 2-0 Dy’Kyiv

Lazio 4-1 Nice

M’Tel Aviv 0-2 Midtjylland

Olympiacos 3-0 Braga

Qarabag 1-2 Malmo

Sociedad 1-2 Anderlecht

Rigas FS 2-2 Galatasaray

Sla’ Prague 1-1 Ajax

Bilbao 2-0 AZ Alkmaar

Besiktas 1-3 E’Frankfurt