Victor Osimhen has issued a confident message to Juventus and Atletico Madrid after Galatasaray’s Champions League group stage campaign ended with a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City on Wednesday night, soccernet.ng reports.
The Turkish champions went into the match knowing that an unlikely victory against the Premier League side, combined with other favourable scores, could have been enough to secure a place in the top eight and a direct ticket to the round of 16.
Instead, Galatasaray were outclassed by City, with Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki scoring the goals that sealed a comfortable victory for the former English champions.
Osimhen, Galatasaray’s leading scorer in the competition with six goals, was unable to add to his tally on the night. The result meant City climbed into the top eight, while Galatasaray slipped to 20th place and were forced into the play-off round.
That leaves the Istanbul side facing a daunting draw on Friday, with either Juventus or Atletico Madrid waiting. Yet Victor Osimhen insists Galatasaray will be ready, pointing to their 1-1 draw with Atletico earlier in the campaign and last year's home win over Liverpool as proof they can compete at the highest level.
The Nigeria striker admitted improvements are needed and reinforcements will help, but his belief remains strong.
“I'm getting physically better,” Osimhen said as per Sporx via NowSpor. “We don't have a situation where we have to choose between Juventus and Atletico Madrid. We'll be playing in these places constantly. We'll be better.
“The club is working on transfers. We signed two very good players. Both Juventus and Atletico Madrid are very good teams. Whoever comes, we'll do our best.”
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Victor Osimhen and Galatasaray's missed opportunity
Galatasaray’s European journey had started brightly. After collecting nine points from their first four matches, they looked well placed to push for a top-eight finish. However, a late slump saw them take just one point from their final four games, turning a promising position into a battle for survival in the competition.
Head coach Okan Buruk believes his side achieved their minimum target but could not hide a sense of regret at what might have been.
“Our main goal here was to get into the top 24, and we finished 20th,” Buruk told Galatasaray official website.
“Now we have two possible opponents: Juventus or Atletico Madrid. We know Atletico Madrid well; we played against them recently. Juventus is also a well-established team we know. In this format, fate plays a role to some extent. If we had finished with a higher points total, different opponents might have come up, but oh well.”
Still, there is a significant milestone to celebrate. For the first time since the 2013-14 season, more than a decade ago, Galatasaray have made it beyond the group stage of the Champions League. Now, with Osimhen leading the line, they will hope that achievement can be only the beginning.
