Victor Osimhen: 3 statistics that explains Nigerian star’s tough outing vs Barcelona

Super Eagles forward Victor Osimhen endured a difficult outing for Galatasaray as they suffered a disappointing 4-1 defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

The Turkish champions suffered a heavy defeat against the Spanish side in Istanbul and remain without a point after also losing their opening game against Sporting CP last month.

Osimhen missed that opening fixture due to an injury, which also forced him to sit out Nigeria’s AFCON 2027 qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau last month.

The Nigerian striker had made an impressive start to the season, scoring six goals in his opening four league games before the injury setback.

However, he returned to the starting lineup for the visit of Barcelona, making his first start since recovering from the injury. Despite his return, Galatasaray could not prevent a defeat as the visitors came from behind to secure all three points.

Aleksey Bakratov gave Galatasaray the lead, but goals from João Cancelo, Fermín López, Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi helped Barcelona complete the comeback.

While the result was disappointing for Galatasaray, Osimhen’s individual performance was also one to forget as the Super Eagles striker struggled to make an impact against Barcelona’s defence.

Victor Osimhen: 3 statistics that show his struggles against Barcelona

1. Osimhen managed just one shot in the entire game

Much of the pre-match discussion was on how Barcelona’s young lineup would cope with Osimhen’s physicality and pace.

However, the Spanish side did a good job of limiting his influence, leaving the Nigerian striker with very few opportunities to threaten their goal.

Osimhen managed just one shot throughout the game, and it failed to hit the target. Barcelona’s defenders largely kept him away from dangerous positions, making it difficult for him to use his pace and physical presence to trouble their backline.

2. Osimhen was caught offside 6 times in the game

Victor Osimhen also endured a frustrating night with his movement, as he was caught offside six times against Barcelona.

His attempts to get behind the Spanish side’s defence repeatedly ended with the assistant referee raising the flag as his timing was far from ideal in the encounter.

Comeback in hell. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/LkM6Qusjoc

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 13, 2026

Barcelona’s defensive line did well to limit his runs, while Osimhen struggled to find the right balance between getting in behind and staying onside.

His six offsides made it difficult for Galatasaray to build sustained attacks through him and further reduced his influence on the game.

3. Just 12 touches of the ball

Another statistic that showed Osimhen’s difficult outing was his involvement in possession. The Nigerian striker recorded just 12 touches of the ball throughout the match.

The low figure showed how rarely he was able to get involved in Galatasaray’s attacking play, as Barcelona limited the service reaching him and prevented him from becoming a consistent threat in the final third.

Osimhen came on last weekend and changed the game against Kasimpasa, but struggled against Barcelona and eventually finished the match with a rating of 6.3 according to Sofascore, in what was a disappointing night for the Super Eagles star.

The Super Eagles striker will now be hoping to put the performance behind him and return to form when Galatasaray face Gençlerbirliği on Saturday.