Galatasaray head coach Okan Buruk has revealed that Victor Osimhen had to come off during Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League exit to Liverpool due to injury.
The Super Eagles superstar had clashed with Ibrahima Konate in the first half and had to receive treatment, before he could not continue after feeling pains later in the match.
Osimhen came off halftime and was replaced by Leroy Sane with the scores at 1-0, but Galatasaray went on to lose 4-0 on the night and crashed out of the Champions League.
Osimhen injured as Galatasaray lose to Liverpool
Galatasaray had recorded a 1-0 advantage from the first leg and were hoping to finish off the work in the second leg at Anfield.
Dominik Szoboszlai opened the scoring after 25 minutes after a clever set-piece routine, to make the scores 1-1 on aggregate.
Mohamed Salah then wasted a good chance, before Florian Wirtz was also guilty of failing to score from a promising position.
Szoboszlai was then fouled by Ismail Jakobs in the box, leading to a penalty kick for Liverpool. Salah stepped up, but his poor attempt was saved by Ugurcan Cakir as the first half ended 1-0.
Osimhen, who had struggled with an arm injury in the first half did not return for the second half, leaving Galatasaray with a mountain to climb in the absence of their superstar.
Hugo Ekitike added a second to out Liverpool in control of the tie, before Ryan Gravenberch scored a third in the 53rd minute.
Salah atoned for his earlier miss with the Reds’ fourth of the game, making history in the process. The goals was his 50th in the Champions League, becoming the first African to reach that feat.
Liverpool sealed a 4-0 win to advance to the quarterfinals where they will face champions Paris Saint-Germain, who thrashed another English side Chelsea 8-2 on aggregate, in a repeat of the 2024-25 Round of 16 clash.
Meanwhile, Osimhen and Galatasaray crash out and will now turn their attention to their defence of the Turkish league title.
Buruk confirms Osimhen’s injury after Galatasaray’s defeat to Liverpool
Speaking after the match, Buruk explained the decision to replace Osimhen at halftime in Galatasaray’s defeat to Liverpool.
“Osimhen was in pain. It happened at the beginning of the game; we tried to keep him on the pitch, but his pain increased, so we had to substitute him at halftime”, Buruk stated.
“Looking at Osimhen’s position, we saw that Konaté was able to commit these fouls very easily, he could easily apply any kind of foul. While we were expecting the best referee in the world, perhaps one of the worst referees officiated the game.”
The Galatasaray coach also hailed Liverpool’s quality which was evident as his side bowed out of the competition.
“But our opponent deserved to win the match much more than us. There were unfortunate events; our start to the game, Osimhen’s injury, our inability to make our presence felt during the game, and the confidence we gave to our opponent”, he continued.
“They played with more confidence, while we lost ours. Our fans always expect a much more courageous Galatasaray, but none of our pre-match plans worked on the field. Injuries and the wrong decisions we made during the game had an impact.
“My players put in a great deal of effort, and I respect their efforts. You congratulated us, Galatasaray, and our club for being here; however, I am saddened by this defeat today”, Buruk concluded.
Galatasaray will now shift their attention to the Turkish league, where they will face Trabzonspor in their next outing after the international break.
