Victor Osimhen played a key role with a brace in Galatasaray’s 3-2 victory over Tottenham Hotspur, but coach Okan Buruk blamed fatigue for the Super Eagles star's inability to add to his tally.
Despite scoring twice in an exciting nine-minute spell, Osimhen’s fitness played a crucial part in missed opportunities that could have seen his side bag even more.
Although heavily involved throughout his 80 minutes, Osimhen squandered four clear chances in Spurs’ penalty box.
He managed five shots on target from seven attempts, but the fatigue was evident, and it nearly cost the reigning Turkish champions.
Victor Osimhen’s fatigue a key factor in Galatasaray's nervy ending
Speaking after the game, Buruk acknowledged that, while his team could have easily netted another five or six goals in the second half, the impact of Osimhen’s fatigue derailed them.
The Nigeria forward, who had only trained for two days before the match, requested to be substituted, a decision that sparked a reaction from the crowd.
Buruk also noted that with another match in just three days, he had no option but to take off the fatigued forward.
“We could have scored 7-8 goals in the second half,” Okan Buruk told the club website. “We missed very clear positions.
“Then there was fatigue… Osimhen wanted out. Of course, the audience also reacted here. Osimhen got tired and wanted to leave himself. He had trained for two days. We have another match in three days.
“Mauro later suffered an injury. After the new entrants, the formation and the opponent were missing, and the last part of the game did not go as we wanted. We should have scored the fourth goal and finished the match.”
