‘We did that’ – Galatasaray head coach validates Osimhen’s displeasure

Galatasaray headcoach Okan Buruk has admitted Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen was well within his rights to criticise the team’s performance last night, Afrik Foot reports.

The 27-year-old wasn’t in the best mood following his side’s 5-2 win over Juventus in the first leg, claiming he knew how tough an away leg at the Allianz Arena in Turin would be.

He was proven right, as Galatasaray collapsed to a 3-0 defeat inside 90 minutes to ten-man Juventus. However, Osimhen rose to the occasion to score a goal in the 106th minute before Baris Aspar Yilmaz secured the win with a minute left on the clock.

Okan Buruk sides with Victor Osimhen in Galatasaray win

The former Napoli striker refused to celebrate after he put the ball in the back of the net, reacting to how poor the team were on the night.

In his post-match presser, he aired his displeasure, claiming a performance like that wouldn’t be acceptable moving forward.

“We qualified, but I think we have a lot to improve on if we have to play the big dogs. The performance wasn’t really good. Juventus deserved the win, but I’m happy we went through.

“I psyched up my teammates to know how difficult it is to play in Turin, but some of them are timid, and when I try to motivate them to do the best they can, some were scared.

“The overall performance is nothing to write home about if we are being honest with ourselves.”

— Victor Osimhen.pic.twitter.com/y9gqByckah

— @𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗷𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗯𝗼𝘆 (@OneJoblessBoy) February 26, 2026

“Juventus played better with a man down, so we have to improve. When I try to speak, and some of them don’t listen, I have nothing else to say,” the 2023 CAF Player of the Year said on the CBS Sports Golazo show.

Okan Buruk, in his post-match interview, revealed that Osimhen is a perfect fit for his plans, but his teammates need to feed him better to get the best out of him.

“As a player, and as a person also, he’s very important for us. He’s a striker, but he gives us a lot of defender-like qualities, like a centre-back,” the Turkish coach said in his post-game interview.

“He’s a big character for us, and he’s a big player. One of the best in Turkish football, and he’s important to my gameplan. He’s a game-changer.

“We could prepare more positions for him. We didn’t play more important passes to him. If we did, he’ll score more.

“We were amazing in the first game, but in the second game, we didn’t play. He wanted more from the other players,” Okan Buruk concluded.

The UEFA Champions League draw will take place on Friday, and Galatasaray, alongside the remaining 16 teams in the competition, will know their opponents.