Nigeria international Victor Osimhen will miss Galatasaray’s first playoff game in the UEFA Europa League after picking up his third yellow card of the competition in Thursday’s 2-1 defeat to Ajax in Amsterdam, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Super Eagles striker was booked in the 38th minute following a collision with Ajax goalkeeper Remko Pasveer during a corner kick. His previous yellow cards came in matches against Dinamo Kyiv and AZ Alkmaar.
With the draw for the Europa League playoffs set for Friday, Galatasaray could face either Midtjylland or AZ Alkmaar in the next round.
Missed chances haunt Victor Osimhen and Galatasaray
Victor Osimhen, who has been in fine scoring form, netted a stoppage-time consolation goal but endured a frustrating evening in front of goal against Ajax. The Nigerian forward missed several clear opportunities to get on the scoresheet earlier.
In the 18th minute, he connected with a cross but sent his header wide. Just before halftime, he met another cross, only to direct his header far off target. In the 57th minute, he saw another headed effort saved before finally scoring in the dying moments of the match.
Get Our Sports News First – Join Our WhatsApp Channel Now!
The defeat denied Galatasaray an automatic spot in the Europa League quarterfinals, leaving manager Okan Buruk visibly frustrated after the game.
Buruk: “We missed clear chances”
Speaking to Galatasaray.org, Buruk lamented his team's wastefulness in front of goal and their tendency to concede avoidable goals.
“In fact, we missed very clear chances and could have won the match very easily,” he said. “Maybe we could have brought the score to 2-2 in one minute. Batshuayi and Osimhen had chances.
“If we are entering and missing so many chances, and on top of that, you are conceding ridiculous goals, you lose such matches. Of course, we had shortcomings.
“We made moves in the rest of the game. My players tried to play here with the best intentions. We scored for a large part of the tournament, we created many chances. We are the team that created the most chances in the Europa League, we are one of the teams that score the most goals. Maybe we are in the first place, I don't know, after today's matches, but in general, we conceded too many goals.
“The reason we couldn't get out of here, the reason we couldn't make it to the top eight, is the goals we conceded. We didn't concede many chances, but we conceded very simple goals. It was like that today.
“While we should have scored, we were the team that missed clearer chances. We conceded two goals from our opponents in situations that we couldn't even call positions and we couldn't turn the match around. This is our first defeat, of course. It makes us sad and hurts us.”
Victor Osimhen’s red-hot Europa League form continues
Despite Galatasaray’s setback, Victor Osimhen’s goal extended his remarkable scoring streak in the Europa League to four consecutive matches. The Napoli loanee has now scored 17 goals in all competitions this season, including five in six games in Europe.
His absence in the first leg of the playoffs will be a significant blow for Galatasaray, who will now have to navigate a crucial fixture without their in-form striker.
