Galatasaray coach Okan Buruk has appreciated the club's fans for their touching gesture towards Victor Osimhen before their UEFA Champions League tie against Liverpool, Soccernet.ng reports.
Turkish giants Galatasaray welcomed Liverpool to Rams Park for their Champions League round of 16 fixture on Tuesday.
The build-up to the game was big, especially for Galatasaray, because it was their first appearance in that stage of the competition in 12 years.
Just before the game, the club's fans made a touching gesture towards Osimhen that even made him cry. They displayed a tifo, which is a massive choreographed display of banners, flags, and cards in the stands.
It showed the Super Eagles star in his number 45 shirt and holding his daughter, Hailey on one hand, while his late mother watched him from above. The gesture got Osimhen emotional, as it was the first time he had experienced such a thing in his career.
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He eventually went on to contribute the assist for Galatasaray's solitary goal, as they ran out with a 1-0 win after 90 minutes. It was a nervy game for the Cimbom, but they managed to hold on to their lead until full-time.
Okan Buruk Applauds Gesture Towards Victor Osimhen
After Galatasaray's 1-0 victory over Liverpool on Tuesday, coach Okan Buruk was asked about the fans' gesture towards Victor Osimhen, and he admitted that he also felt emotional seeing it.
The Turkish tactician appreciated the fans for their support, while noting that the tifo was one of the ways that fans love to show their affection towards their players.
”I had goosebumps as well. We saw the tears in Osimhen’s eyes,” Buruk said. “Galatasaray is a team of ‘feeling,' and it always reflects this to its players; it receives that emotion back from them as well.”
”There was a truly beautiful choreography today. First of all, I want to thank those who prepared it. They always support us—they are with us even on our bad days. Most recently, we lost a match to Konyaspor and they came to the airport to meet us and support the team. So, they aren't just there for the good days, but the bad ones too.”
”It’s wonderful to be with them. Making them happy at the end of the day is very important. I think it was a well-deserved choreography for Osimhen. It has been done for many of our players from time to time—it was even done for me once. These are truly emotional things that move all of us. But we had a magnificent crowd here today, from the beginning of the match until the very end.”
For a player like Osimhen who endured disrespect at Napoli, despite helping them land their first Serie A title in over 30 years in 2023, the move from Galatasaray fans would assure him that he made the right decision by joining them.
Meanwhile, he and his teammates still have their work cut out for them. They play Liverpool in the second leg of their Champions League tie next week. And they must avoid a defeat if they want to qualify for the quarter-finals.
Many big clubs have fallen at Anfield, and the Cimbom have a dismal away record in the Champions League this season.
Osimhen will be looking to repay the love from the fans and help the Cimbom claim the much-needed result to advance to the next round.
