Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen made headlines in the UEFA Champions League once again, following his heroics for Galatasaray in their 3-0 win over Ajax Amsterdam on Wednesday night, SportPremi reports.
The 26-year-old continued his scintillating form with a remarkable hat-trick as the Turkish champions triumphed over their Dutch opponents, getting their revenge for last season’s Europa League defeat.
The former Napoli man bagged his third consecutive player of the match award and is on course to be named the UEFA Champions League player of the week for match-day four of the 2025-26 league phase.
As it happened
Galatasaray were seeking to record a third straight UCL win over their opponents, who were rooted to the bottom of the 36-team standings and were without a win this season.
They started the game brightly and had the best chances to take the lead in the first half, although Osimhen was denied twice by Ajax goalkeeper Remko Pasveer.
The Nigerian was not to be denied his customary goal, beating a defender and rising highest to nod home a cross from Leroy Sane in the 59th minute to open the scoring.
The home side’s task became more difficult after the video assistant referee awarded a penalty to the visitors following a handball in the area.
Osimhen stepped up and dispatched the spot-kick to make the scoreline 2-0 and put his side on the brink of victory.
The Turkish champions were awarded another spot-kick in the 78th minute, giving Osimhen the chance to complete his hat-trick.
The Super Eagles star fired emphatically into the top corner and sealed a 3-0 win for Galatasaray, who moved up to nine points and edged closer to qualification for the next round.
Ajax, on the other hand, continued their poor start to the UCL campaign with a fourth consecutive defeat.
Record-breaking night for Osimhen
Victor Osimhen shattered several records with his treble against Ajax on Wednesday night.
His hat-trick moved him up to 25 goals in European competitions and ahead of Obafemi Martins who had 23, making him Nigeria’s all-time topscorer in UEFA competitions.
Osimhen also became the second player in Nigerian history to score a hat-trick in the UEFA Champions League, with Yakubu Aiyegbeni being the other player.
The Nigerian striker also moved to first position on the goalscoring charts this season with six goals, above the likes of Harry Kane, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe.
The Super Eagles striker also extended his record after scoring in an eight consecutive European match and is just three games from equaling Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of 11.
Victor Osimhen also became the first Galatasaray player to score twice or more in consecutive games in the UEFA Champions League.
