Ajax manager John Heitinga could only watch in frustration as Victor Osimhen tore through his defence with ruthless precision to inspire Galatasaray to a 3-0 win in Amsterdam, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Nigerian forward’s sensational hat-trick on Wednesday night not only secured three vital points for the Turkish champions but also pushed them closer to the Champions League knockout stages. In contrast, Ajax’s miserable run in the competition continued with the Dutch giants still without a point after four games.
After the game, Heitinga was gracious in defeat but clear in his analysis: Osimhen made the difference.
“This result felt flattering,” the Dutchman told Ziggo Sport as per VI.
“We didn’t give much away in the first sixty minutes; we were really in the game. We started well in the second half, but we conceded a real striker’s goal. We just have to defend better.”
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Heitinga, who has been under pressure following Ajax’s poor start to the season, insisted that there were still positives to take from the performance.
He experimented with a new midfield setup that, for large spells, managed to contain Galatasaray’s attacking rhythm before Osimhen’s quality broke through.
“I have to compliment the team for having the courage to play the ball forward from the back, creating good choices and small chances,” he said.
But it was the Nigerian striker’s brilliance that ultimately settled the contest. Osimhen’s header on the hour mark opened the floodgates before two expertly taken penalties, both awarded for handball, sealed a night of personal and team triumph.
Osimhen hits new heights in Europe
Osimhen’s treble took his tally to six Champions League goals this season, moving him one ahead of Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane, and placing him at the top of the tournament’s scoring chart.
The Super Eagles forward has now scored in all three group matches he has featured in, having previously struck twice against Bodo/Glimt and once against Liverpool. His performance in Amsterdam also made him only the second Galatasaray player to score a Champions League hat-trick, following Burak Yilmaz’s feat in 2012.
Osimhen also became the first Nigerian, since Yakubu Aiyegbeni for Maccabi Haifa in 2002, to score three goals in a Champions League match.
While four defeats in four games have left Ajax bottom of the group and staring at an early exit from the competition, Osimhen and Galatasaray are soaring high.
The Turkish giants sit in ninth place with nine points from a possible 12 and are on course to reach the knockout stage of the elite European club competition.
