Henry Onyekuru Delighted To Break 20-Year Galatasaray Jinx At Fenerbahce

The Nigeria international could not hide his joy at being a part of history after his stoppage-time goal helped the champions claim a long-awaited victory at the home of their bitter rivals.

On-loan Monaco forward Henry Onyekuru is full of appreciation to everyone who played a part in Gala’s thrilling win at Fenerbahce, the first time the Lions have achieved that feat in 20 years.

The former Everton striker scored late to seal Galatasaray’s 3-1 comeback victory against Fenerbahce in Sunday’s Intercontinental derby.

Goals from Ryan Donk, Radamel Falcao, and Onyekuru secured earned a historic win for Galatasaray who have not won a game against their rivals at the Ulker Stadium since 1999.

A highly charged derby in Istanbul saw both teams reduced to ten men with the sending off of Morocco’s Younes Belhanda, and midfielder Deniz Turuc in the second half. Fenerbahce coach, Ersun Yanal, also received his marching orders in a game that reached a boiling point on and off the pitch.

However, Onyekuru, who was in action for 90 minutes, kept his composure in the chaos to net his first strike for Galatasaray since his return from a loan from Monaco in January.

“A very important victory for us, thank you very much, thanks (to) the players who scored the goal, thanks (to) the fans,” Onyekuru said in quotes carried by Sporx.

“In the 10-minute extension, the fans set up the pressure with full force and gave us a tremendous boost. Thank you very much to all our fans. This victory after 20 years is very important to us.”

The result pushed Galatasaray to second in the Super Lig table, level on 45 points with third-placed Sivasspor and leaders Trabzonspor, who have a game in hand.