Victor Osimhen returned from injury and provided an assist as Galatasaray defeated Kasımpaşa 3-1 in Friday’s Turkish Süper Lig encounter at RAMS Park.
The Super Eagles striker came off the bench after spending weeks on the sidelines with a groin injury, making his return in a crucial victory for the Istanbul club.
Osimhen’s comeback was capped by a late contribution as Galatasaray scored twice in the closing stages to secure all three points despite playing with 10 men.
Galatasaray took the lead in the 45th minute when defender Abdülkerim Bardakcı headed home from Aleksey Batrakov’s free-kick.
The hosts’ task became more difficult in the 65th minute when midfielder Lucas Torreira was sent off after a VAR review upgraded his yellow card to a red for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity
Kasımpaşa capitalised on their numerical advantage three minutes later, with Jesurun Rak-Sakyi scoring after Galatasaray failed to clear a corner properly to make it 1-1.
Galatasaray, however, regained the lead in the 90th minute through Barış Alper Yılmaz, who finished to put the hosts 2-1 ahead.
Osimhen then helped set up Mario Lemina’s stoppage-time goal, which sealed the 3-1 victory for the home side.
The win takes Galatasaray to 16 points and back to the top of the league table, while Kasımpaşa suffered their first defeat of the campaign and remained on 10 points.
Osimhen’s return will also be a boost for Galatasaray ahead of their upcoming UEFA Champions League fixture against Barcelona.
The Nigerian striker had been sidelined after sustaining a groin injury during Galatasaray’s 3-2 league win over İstanbul Başakşehir on September 4. The club subsequently confirmed a strain in his right adductor muscle group, forcing him to miss matches and withdraw from Nigeria’s squad for the opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
