Europa: Osimhen Scores Brace as Spurs Fall at Galatasaray

*Another Super Eagle, Cyriel Dessers, earns point for Rangers at Olympiacos

Duro Ikhazuagbe

Nigerian international striker, Victor Osimhen, scored a brace in Galatasaray’s 3-2 defeat of Tottenham Hotspur in their UEFA Europa League in Istanbul last night.

The Napoli loanee in Turkey netted his first Europa League goal this season after 31 minutes of action, before he completed his brace eight minutes later.

Osimhen has now scored six goals in all competitions for the Turkish Lig giants.

The Super Eagle goals came after Galatasaray had taken the lead through Yunus Akgun in the sixth minute and were pecked by by Spur’s William Lankshear 12 minutes later.

The fixture was a thrilling encounter with lots of fireworks.

After the English side tried to cage the Nigerian star forward, Osimhen freed himself to punish them with two goals in eight minutes.

After Tottenham’s goalkeeper, Fraser Forster had produced a fine low save to thwart Osimhen, he had the ball in the net on the half an hour mark but was flagged for offside.

The Napoli loanee would not be denied and scored in the 32nd minute after a gift from Tottenham. Bergvall initially dallied on the ball before Radu Dragusin was inexplicably dispossessed, which allowed Dries Mertens to send Osimhen away to poke past Forster.

Osimhen then made it 3-1 when he got in behind Dragusin and steered Mertens’ cross into the bottom corner.

In the second half, even with a man short Spurs pulled a goal back to make this more of a contest after Galatasaray failed to put away several other chances to kill off the match.

An England call up, Dominic Solanke scored Spur’s second goal barely three minutes after he came on as substitute in the 66th minute. More fireworks however failed to yield more dividends for Tottenham.

Osimhen however gave way for Kerem Demirbay in the 80th minute.

Elsewhere, another Super Eagles forward, Cyriel Dessers earned a point for Glasgow Rangers in their away 1-1 draw with Olympiacos.

Dessers redeemed himself with a second-half equaliser in the 1-1 Europa League draw in the Georgios Karaiskakis stadium.

RESULTS

Bodoe/Glimt 1-2 Qarabag

E’Frankfurt 1-0 Sl’Prague

Elfsborg 1-1 SC Braga

FCSB 2-0 Midtjylland

Galatasaray 3-2 Tottenham

Ludogorets 1-2 Athletics

Nice 2-2 FC Twente

Olympiacos 1-1 Rangers