Galatasaray coach Buruk reveals why he subbed off Victor Osimhen after scoring in crunch Europa League tie

Galatasaray coach Orkan Buruk has revealed that he subbed off Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen in the 80th minute of their Europa League game against AZ Alkmaar to protect him from getting injured, Soccernet.ng reports.

Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen scored for Galatasaray when they welcomed AZ Alkmaar to Rams Park for second leg of their crunch Euopa League game. Unfortunately for Galatasaray, Osimhen's goal was not enough for them, as they already had a three-goal deficit from the first leg.

However, coach Orkan Buruk did something surprising, substituting Osimhen for youngster Berat Lus in the 80th minute, when it was 2-2. That decision made it look as though he had already given up on the game.

Nonetheless, he explained his decision at the end of the game. He revealed that with Alvaro Morata injured, he had to substitute Osimhen to keep him fit and fresh.

“Since our other striker Morata was also injured, we took Osimhen off in the last 10 minutes. It wasn't the night we wanted. We were more hopeful. If we had scored the first goal, maybe Osimhen could have played further into the match,” Buruk said after the game.

How good was Victor Osimhen against AZ Alkmaar?

Victor Osimhen had a good showing for Galatasaray. He registered seven goal attempts, one of which resulted in a goal. He was full of running throughout the game.

Although his goal was ingenious, he had better chances to score, which he did not take. He has to work on that. At Galatasaray, he has been a high-volume shooter, but even with his 20 goals in 25 games, his goal tally could be higher.

Now that Galatasaray are out of the continent, they will focus on defending their Turkish Super Lig title and the Turkish Cup.

All over from Istanbul.#GSvAZ #UEL pic.twitter.com/Y9rOJQwdJu

— Galatasaray EN (@Galatasaray) February 20, 2025