Super Eagles and Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen has set his sights on securing a crucial victory against Manchester City after his side settled for a draw with Atletico Madrid in their UEFA Champions League clash on Tuesday night, reports gathered by Nigeriasoccernet.com from Galatasaray’s official channels.
At RAMS Park, Atletico Madrid struck early through Giuliano Simeone, who opened the scoring inside four minutes. Galatasaray responded quickly, drawing level in the 20th minute after Marcos Llorente turned the ball into his own net following a dangerous Rolland Sallai cut-back. Despite Atletico enjoying the better share of possession and chances, the match ended 1–1, leaving Galatasaray with work to do in the final group game.
Speaking after the encounter, Osimhen admitted he missed the Galatasaray supporters after spending several weeks away on international duty with Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations.
“Of course, I miss everyone so much, even the fans. We knew before the game that we would be playing against a strong opponent,” Osimhen said, in quotes published on Galatasaray’s official website. “I congratulate my teammates. In a 90-minute battle against a tough team like this, we did a good job against a great opponent.
“The game was like 50–50. In some moments, we had chances to finish the game, but overall I’m happy with our performance.”
The draw means Galatasaray must now defeat Manchester City in their final group-stage fixture to stand a chance of qualifying for the Champions League play-offs. A defeat would almost certainly end their European campaign at this stage, but Osimhen remains confident.
“Manchester City is one of the best teams in the world. We’re going to play a game. First, we’ll focus on the league, then we’ll focus on that match,” the former Napoli striker added. “It won’t be easy, but I trust my team. I’m looking at it positively, and I believe we can get something out of there. Let’s play a good game like we did against Atletico, that’s the most important.”
Galatasaray will travel to the Etihad Stadium to face Pep Guardiola’s side in seven days’ time. While Manchester City have already secured qualification for the play-offs regardless of the result, a win could help them seal automatic passage to the Champions League round of 16.