Galatasaray coach Okan Buruk has singled out Victor Osimhen for special praise after his extra-time strike broke the resolve of 10-man Juventus for the Turkish champions to march on in the UEFA Champions League.
Juventus and Galatasaray were level 5-5 on aggregate after the Italian club fought back from a 5-2 loss in Turkey with a 3-0 lead in the reverse tie in Turin.
However, Osimhen put Galatasaray back on course with a goal in first half extra-time, which broke Juventus for the Turkish giants to score again and go through to the Round of 16 7-5 on aggregate.
“Victor Osimhen is a big character. A game-changer…” the Galatasaray coach saluted after this absorbing contest.
“But we could have prepared more opportunities for him. We didn’t deliver the final passes to him. If we had, he would have scored more.”
Galatasaray teammate and former Manchester City star IIkay Gundogan joined in the praise of the Super Eagles striker when he posted on his social media page: “Thanks, goal machine!”
Okan Buruk said qualification is “very important for Galatasaray and Turkish football”.
