Osimhen Inspires Galatasaray Comeback Win

Victor Osimhen scored against his former club as Galatasaray fought back from behind to beat Lille 4-2 in the Champions League, securing their first points of the campaign after two consecutive defeats.

Galatasaray Strike Early

Galatasaray made a rapid start at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in northern France, taking the lead after just two minutes. Yunus Akgün capitalised on a poor defensive header from Lille defender Alexsandro before finishing high into the net.

The visitors were looking to recover from a heavy 4-1 home defeat against Barcelona in their previous Champions League fixture and initially appeared to have found the perfect response.

However, Lille quickly restored parity through 19-year-old winger Soriba Diaoune, who ran onto a through-ball from Alexsandro, rounded goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir and calmly scored into an unguarded net in the seventh minute.

Diaoune Puts Lille Ahead

Galatasaray had an opportunity to regain the lead midway through the first half when goalkeeper Berke Ozer appeared to trip Osimhen inside the penalty area. However, a video assistant referee review determined that Ozer had won the ball, and no penalty was awarded.

Diaoune then struck again in the 39th minute, reacting quickly to a saved effort to put Lille 2-1 ahead. The teenager’s second goal gave the hosts control of the match and placed Galatasaray under renewed pressure.

Lille looked set to reach half-time with the advantage, but defensive lapses once again proved costly.

Batrakov Restores Parity

Galatasaray equalised just before the interval when Aleksey Batrakov found himself unmarked and headed home from Roland Sallai’s cross in the 44th minute.

The goal brought the visitors back into the contest at 2-2 and exposed Lille’s difficulties in dealing with crosses into the penalty area.

After the break, Galatasaray continued to exploit those weaknesses. Seven minutes into the second half, a corner from the visitors created another dangerous opportunity, with Lucas Torreira’s near-post header contributing to a goal credited as an own goal by Lille’s Nabil Bentaleb.

That put Galatasaray ahead 3-2 and shifted the pressure firmly onto the home side.

Osimhen Punishes Former Club

Osimhen then extended Galatasaray’s advantage shortly after the hour mark, finishing a swift counter-attack to make it 4-2.

The Nigerian striker’s goal was especially significant as he faced Lille, the French club where he played before moving to Napoli. It was also his first Champions League goal since February.

Galatasaray managed to protect their lead for the remainder of the match, completing an important comeback and collecting their first points of this season’s Champions League campaign.

Different Challenges Ahead

The victory gives Galatasaray renewed hope after their defeat by Barcelona and provides momentum ahead of their next European fixture against Stuttgart on Tuesday, 3 November, at 17:45 GMT.

Lille, meanwhile, will look to recover when they travel to Norway to face Bodø/Glimt later that day at 20:00 GMT.

The French side will be concerned by a recurring problem: they have now lost both of their Champions League home matches this season after taking the lead. Their defensive lapses against Galatasaray proved decisive, allowing the Turkish visitors to turn a difficult position into a convincing victory.