Victor Osimhen appeared to open his account for Galatasaray with a fine header, but controversy surrounded his goal as the Turkish giants cruised to a 5-0 victory over Rizespor in their Turkish Super Lig matchday five clash at Rams Park on Saturday evening.
Galatasaray, who entered the game on the back of three straight league wins, showed their dominance early, Footballrover reports.
Davinson Sanchez opened the scoring just three minutes in with a powerful header from a well-delivered free kick.
Twelve minutes later, Osimhen came close to doubling the lead but sent his header wide of the right post after a perfect cross from the wing.
The Nigerian striker finally seemed to break his duck 25 minutes into the match.
Latching onto a long pass that split the defence, Osimhen slotted the ball into the bottom left corner.
However, the goal sparked debate, as there were claims that teammate Abdulkerim Bardakci might have gotten the final touch, casting doubt over who truly deserved credit for the strike.
In the end, he was only credited with an assist for the goal.
Osimhen had another chance just before halftime, receiving a pass inside the box and unleashing a dangerous shot, only for a Rizespor defender to block the effort.
Galatasaray headed into the break with a 2-0 lead, thanks to the early dominance.
The second half saw Galatasaray continue to overwhelm their opponents. Gabriel Sara fired in a rebound to make it 3-0 just four minutes after the restart.
Dries Mertens added a fourth with a precise finish into the bottom corner after a slick pass, while Baris Alper Yilmaz rounded off the scoring with a composed strike in the 80th minute.
Osimhen, despite the uncertainty over his goal, remained a constant threat.
In the 78th minute, he received a precise pass in the box and unleashed a shot bound for the bottom right corner, only for Rizespor goalkeeper Ivo Grbic to deny him with a brilliant save.
Though his debut goal remains in dispute, Osimhen’s impact in the game was really huge.
Fellow Nigerians Ibrahim Olawoyin and David Akintola also featured for Rizespor, but it was Galatasaray who continued their 100% start to the season, remaining top of the Turkish Super Lig with four wins from four games.
Up next, Galatasaray will face Gaziantep at Rams Park on Tuesday, with Osimhen looking to officially open his goal account.
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