Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen delivered a sensational performance on Wednesday night, scoring all three goals to hand Galatasaray a commanding 3–0 victory over Ajax in their UEFA Champions League group-stage encounter at the Johan Cruijff ArenA.
The 26-year-old forward, who has been in blistering form this season, opened the scoring in the 59th minute, breaking free from his marker to head home a perfectly weighted cross from Leroy Sane.
Osimhen then demonstrated his composure from the penalty spot, converting two penalties within 10 minutes to complete his first-ever UEFA Champions League hat-trick.
His three-goal haul takes his tally in this season’s competition to six goals, making him the current top scorer ahead of Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, and Kylian Mbappe, who each have five.
The Super Eagles striker had already scored in his previous Champions League outings — one against Liverpool and two against Bodo/Glimt — and now cements his reputation as one of Europe’s most lethal finishers.
The feat also sees Osimhen make history as the highest-scoring Nigerian player across all UEFA club competitions, surpassing Obafemi Martins’ record of 23 goals. His new mark of 25 goals underscores his consistency and dominance on the continental stage.
Okay News reports that Galatasaray’s emphatic win puts them in a strong position in their group, as Osimhen’s heroics continue to power the Turkish champions toward qualification for the knockout stages.
Elsewhere in Wednesday’s fixtures, Chelsea were held to a 2–2 draw by Qarabag, while Barcelona played out a thrilling 3–3 draw against Club Brugge. Manchester City cruised past Borussia Dortmund with a 4–1 victory, Newcastle United defeated Athletic Club de Bilbao 2–0, and Inter Milan edged Kairat FC 2–1 in a tense contest.
