Turkish football legend Hasan Şaş has praised Victor Osimhen and Galatasaray after their impressive victory over Liverpool in the Champions League, Soccernet.ng reports.
Galatasaray won 1-0 at RAMS Park on Tuesday night in the first leg of their Round of 16 clash. Osimhen played a key role in the winning goal, rising high to head the ball across for Mario Lemina, who powered it into the net.
The result gave the Turkish champions a small but important advantage before the return leg at Anfield.
It was also the second time Galatasaray have beaten Liverpool in the same Champions League campaign. Earlier in September, Osimhen scored the only goal from the penalty spot as the Istanbul side secured another 1-0 victory during the group stage.
That latest result has made history. Galatasaray are now the first team ever to defeat Liverpool at two different stages of the same European competition in one season.
Former Galatasaray forward Şaş said the achievement should not be overlooked.
Speaking on the SporON YouTube channel as per Habersarikirmizi, he said:
“The fact that Galatasaray managed to beat a European giant like Liverpool, a team with a €1 billion squad, twice in four months is, in my opinion, one of the events that should be talked about this year.”
Şaş praises Victor Osimhen’s fighting spirit
Şaş was especially impressed with Victor Osimhen’s work rate and determination during the match.
The Nigerian striker battled hard from the first minute to the last, even when the game moved into stoppage time.
Şaş recalled one moment that showed Osimhen’s commitment.
“In the 90+1st minute, Osimhen was near the touchline, with two players behind him, one of them Konate, almost twice Osimhen's size. This guy was dragging him along.
“We can't say enough good things about him. I think he's more than repaying the fans' love. He plays with all his heart, from his soul. Hopefully, he'll continue at Galatasaray.”
For Osimhen, the journey has been remarkable. The last time Galatasaray reached the Champions League quarter-finals was in 2013. At that time, the Nigerian striker was still a young boy in Lagos selling bottled water in traffic.
Now he is leading the line for the Turkish giants on Europe’s biggest stage.
Still, Şaş believes the job is not finished. He warned that Galatasaray must approach the second leg at Anfield with courage rather than fear.
“In that match, Galatasaray shouldn't be playing a game focused on protecting a 1-0 lead. How did we play here? It was a close match, a back-and-forth game. Galatasaray should play a game there where there are lots of tackles, fair fights, and no one is falling to the ground.
“I would be saying the same thing if it had gone 2-0, 3-0, 1-0, or 0-0. You have to go there and play football. We can't finish the match there by waiting, being nervous, and thinking, ‘When are we going to concede a goal?'
“We have to play football. If we don't play football, if we can't respond to their attacks and tackles, it will be difficult, like the Juventus match. You have to go there and play football.”
Galatasaray know the task ahead will be difficult. But if they can avoid defeat at Anfield, they will secure a famous place in the Champions League quarter-finals.
