Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen continued his electric run in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night, netting a brilliant hat-trick to inspire Galatasaray to a commanding 3–0 victory over Ajax at the Johan Cruijff ArenA.
The Nigerian forward had entered the fixture with three goals in the competition—two against Bodo/Glimt and a match-winning strike versus Premier League champions Liverpool. His treble in Amsterdam now takes his tally to six, placing him at the top of the Champions League scoring chart this season.
After a tightly contested first half, Osimhen broke the deadlock in the 59th minute with a diving header from Leroy Sané’s precise cross. He doubled the advantage soon after, calmly converting from the penalty spot after Youri Baas was judged to have handled the ball—VAR confirming the decision. The Nigerian sealed his hat-trick in the 78th minute with another well-taken penalty following a handball by substitute Gerald Alders, capping off Galatasaray’s biggest European win of the season.
The victory lifts the Turkish champions to nine points from four matches, marking their best-ever start to a Champions League campaign and strengthening their bid for a place in the round of 16. Ajax, meanwhile, remain bottom of the group after slumping to a fourth consecutive defeat.
Osimhen’s treble also etches his name in the club’s history books, making him only the second Galatasaray player to score a Champions League hat-trick after Burak Yilmaz achieved the feat in 2012.
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Elsewhere, Nigerian midfielder Raphael Onyedika delivered a composed performance in Belgium as Club Brugge battled to an entertaining 3–3 draw with Barcelona. Despite being booked in the 32nd minute, Onyedika’s midfield control and transition play were vital for Brugge before he was substituted in the 84th minute.
In France, Ademola Lookman impressed as Atalanta secured a hard-fought 1–0 away win over Marseille. The winger was instrumental in stretching the French defence and was involved in several attacking moves, though a goal he scored was ruled out for offside. His night ended in controversy after an on-pitch disagreement with his coach following his substitution.
