Why Istanbul Basaksehir are Victor Osimhen’s favourite opponents

Victor Osimhen continued his remarkable scoring run against İstanbul Başakşehir before an injury forced him off during Galatasaray's 3-2 victory in the Turkish Süper Lig on Friday, Soccernet.ng reports.

The Super Eagles striker scored after 16 minutes at the Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium, but his night ended after only 33 minutes when he appeared to suffer a muscle injury.

The match had been moved to Friday, 4 September, with kick-off at 20:00 local time because of Galatasaray's Champions League schedule. The reigning Turkish champions arrived as league leaders after taking seven points from their opening three matches.

Osimhen had already scored five goals and provided two assists in his first three league appearances of the new season. His goal against Başakşehir took his tally to six goals in four matches.

Osimhen: Five games, five wins against Başakşehir

Osimhen needed only 16 minutes to make his mark. Lucas Torreira supplied the assist and Osimhen finished the move with a fierce shot to put Galatasaray 1-0 ahead. The goal extended a remarkable run against Başakşehir, having also scored in Galatasaray's final league match of the 2024/25 season and in their 3-0 win over the same opponents in March 2026.

His March goal came in the 66th minute after Yunus Akgün played the ball into his path. It was Osimhen's ninth goal in nine consecutive Süper Lig appearances at the time, while his goal or assist streak had also reached nine league games.

Osimhen has now played five times against Başakşehir and won all five. His record against them stands at three goals and one assist in five appearances, meaning Galatasaray have won every match in which he has featured against the club. That 100 per cent winning record after five meetings is unmatched among the opponents he has faced in Turkey.

The numbers put Başakşehir in an interesting position when Osimhen's other regular opponents are compared.

Antalyaspor have actually suffered more goals from him. Osimhen has scored seven goals in four appearances, giving him an exceptional 1.75 goals per game against them. He has also won all four matches.

Samsunspor have conceded five goals in four games, while Kayserispor have also conceded five in four. Osimhen has won all four matches against both clubs. He has scored four times in four appearances against Çaykur Rizespor, again winning every game.

His record against Eyüpspor is also strong, with four goals and one assist in three matches. However, he has lost once against them. Then there is Kasimpasa, where the Nigerian forward has four goals in only two appearances. That is his second-highest goals-per-game rate among the opponents listed, although both matches ended in defeat.

His numbers against the traditional Istanbul rivals are less dominant. Osimhen has scored twice against Beşiktaş in four games, with two wins, one draw and one defeat. Against Fenerbahçe, he has one goal and one assist in four appearances, with two wins and two defeats. The Başakşehir record therefore stands out for a different reason. Osimhen has never lost or drawn against them.

Osimhen injury

The positive start was interrupted in the 33rd minute. The Nigeria international went down and could not continue.

Barış Alper Yılmaz was sent on to replace him, bringing the striker's involvement in the match to just over half an hour. Turkish broadcaster beIN Sports reported that Osimhen suffered the problem in the 31st minute before being taken off. There was no confirmed medical diagnosis immediately after the match, so the seriousness of the injury was not yet clear.

Galatasaray still found a way to win without their main striker. Eldor Shomurodov equalised from the penalty spot in the 66th minute, but Torreira restored Galatasaray's lead five minutes later. Davinson Sánchez then scored an own goal in the 76th minute to make it 2-2.

Gabriel Sara settled the contest in the 90th minute, giving Galatasaray a 3-2 victory and four points from their first four league matches. The official Galatasaray match report confirmed the five goals and Osimhen's 16th-minute opener.

The timing of Osimhen's injury will now attract attention in Nigeria because the Super Eagles are due to begin their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign later this month.

CAF has scheduled Nigeria's Group L opener against Madagascar for 25 September, followed by an away match against Guinea-Bissau on 29 September. Tanzania, one of the co-hosts, is also in the group alongside Nigeria, Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau.