Galatasaray took a major step toward the Turkish Super Lig title with a dominant 3–0 victory over rivals Fenerbahce, extending their lead at the top of the table to seven points with three matches remaining.
The match was also marked by the return of Victor Osimhen, who made his first league appearance since 14 March after recovering from a shoulder injury.
He immediately made an impact, scoring the opening goal in the 40th minute.
A long ball into the box was flicked on by Mario Lemina into Osimhen’s path, and the striker controlled it before using his knee to finish past the goalkeeper.
Galatasaray doubled their lead in the 67th minute after Yunus Akgün was brought down in the penalty area.
The decision sparked strong protests from Fenerbahce goalkeeper Ederson, who confronted the referee and was shown a second yellow card, resulting in his dismissal.
Following the red card, Fenerbahce coach Domenico Tedesco made a change, replacing Anderson Talisca, who had earlier missed a penalty, with Mert Günok, making his first league appearance of the season.
Barış Yılmaz stepped up and converted the penalty, sending Günok the wrong way to make it 2–0.
Lucas Torreira added a third goal in the 83rd minute to seal a comprehensive victory for Galatasaray and end any hopes of a comeback.
The result puts Galatasaray on the verge of the title. A win in their next league match against Samsunspor would secure their 26th Turkish Super Lig championship.
Also read: Victor Osimhen Pushing to Be Ready for Fenerbahçe Clash
Osimhen’s goal marked a strong return from injury, bringing his season tally to 29 goals and eight assists for club and country this season.
After the match, Osimhen expressed his gratitude and reflected on both his comeback and the team’s performance:
“I would like to thank our doctor Yener İnce and his team very much. It’s impossible for me to return at 100%, but I wanted to start right away. They also prepared me very well psychologically. My teammates believed in me too.”
“Today was actually not just about my return, but about all of us as a team fighting well and [it being] about our fans. I’m proud of the team. I’m happy about the victory.”
“We want to win every match from now on. We will take every opponent seriously.”
On criticism surrounding his return, he added:
“I don’t look at the internet much. But when I came to the club, someone from the club told me about the bandage incident. I don’t understand these people; after all, they’ll be playing against the league’s best team, but it didn’t seem logical to me that there would be complaints about something like that. I came here and scored my goal. I think I delivered my message in the best way possible.”
He also reaffirmed his commitment to Galatasaray:
“I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again… Galatasaray; with its management, its coach, its fans, with every bond around it, has my respect and love. I want to wear this badge in every way, I’m saying it from my heart…”
Reflecting on the team’s preparation, he said:
“We talked about the Gençlerbirliği match as a team, motivated ourselves. Our coach motivated us. I think we really showed great fight in the last three training sessions. I can say we had even more eager, higher intensity, and exhausting training sessions than this match.”
With momentum firmly in their hands, Galatasaray now stand one win away from sealing the championship.
