Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen scored and was named man of the match as Galatasaray won 4-2 at Lille in the Champions League on 21 October 2026.
Victor Osimhen made the most of his reunion. On Wednesday 21 October 2026, the Nigerian Galatasaray striker scored the goal that definitively sealed the Istanbul side’s 4-2 win at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy against Lille on matchday 3 of the Champions League league phase, NBC Sports reports. It was a goal with a special flavour for a player who wore the northern club’s colours in the 2019/20 season.
The striker was then officially named man of the match after the game, according to Tribuna.com. It was his second goal of the season on the European stage, Foot Africa notes. Galatasaray thus pick up their first three points in the 36-team league phase and kickstart their continental campaign.
A goal worth its weight in gold
“Victor Osimhen scored his second goal of the season in the Champions League against Lille, his former club, on Wednesday 21 October 2026. His strike sealed Galatasaray’s 4-2 win in France,” the Foot Africa newsroom summarises. The 27-year-old striker was facing a side he knows well.
Before the match, both clubs had zero points after two opening defeats in the Champions League, according to Flashscore and Foot Africa. Galatasaray therefore leave the table of teams still without a point and finally get their league phase under way.
The Pierre-Mauroy reunion
For Osimhen, the trip to northern France felt like a return to his roots. The striker played for Lille in the 2019/20 season, scoring 18 goals in 38 appearances in all competitions, according to Sporting Tribune. He then left the northern club for what was a record fee at the time to join Napoli, the same source states.
The script will leave Lille with some regrets. Both teams had started at a blistering pace, each scoring inside the first ten minutes, according to NBC Sports. But it was Galatasaray who came out on top.
Lille, a defence in trouble
The match continues an unfavourable run for the northern side. Lille have now gone ten Champions League games without a single clean sheet, according to UEFA statistics relayed by Matchday Stats. It is a defensive fragility the Istanbul side were able to exploit to come away with the three points.
Galatasaray’s next European fixture is matchday 4 in early November 2026. The available information suggests a home game against Union Saint-Gilloise, but also mentions a European away trip, without settling the question.