Victor Osimhen, forward for Galatasaray and Nigeria’s Super Eagles, produced a historic performance on Wednesday night as he netted a hat-trick in his side’s 3–0 away victory over Ajax in the UEFA Champions League.
Gatekeepers News reports that the match, played at the Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam, saw Osimhen open the scoring in the 59th minute with a powerful header before calmly converting two penalties to complete his treble.
The 26-year-old’s performance earned him multiple records. He became only the second Nigerian ever to score a Champions League hat-trick — after Yakubu Aiyegbeni achieved the feat for Maccabi Haifa in 2002 — and the first Galatasaray player to do so since Burak Yilmaz in 2012.
Osimhen also surpassed Obafemi Martins as Nigeria’s all-time top scorer in European club competitions, reaching 25 goals. He further set a club record as the first Galatasaray player to score a brace in consecutive European matches and to be named MVP in three successive Champions League games.
Reflecting on the team’s ambitions, Osimhen said:
“We have a goal. We know what we want, and we know the magnitude of performance you need in the Champions League. We want to match up with the elite. It won’t be easy, but we’ll go step by step. We have the individual quality to do damage to every team.”
Osimhen is currently the top scorer in the Champions League group stage with six goals — one ahead of Harry Kane, Erling Haaland, and Kylian Mbappé. He now has 15 career goals in the competition and has scored in eight consecutive European games for Galatasaray.
The Nigerian striker will aim to continue his blistering form when Galatasaray face Kocaelispor in the Turkish Super League on Sunday.
Elsewhere in the Champions League
Manchester City cruised to a 4–1 win over Borussia Dortmund at the Etihad Stadium, extending their unbeaten run. Phil Foden scored twice, while Erling Haaland netted his fifth goal of the campaign.
“We are in a good position,” said City boss Pep Guardiola, praising Foden’s return to form. “He is already there — we missed his goals and he got two incredible ones.”
Inter Milan maintained their perfect record with a 2–1 victory over Kairat Almaty, thanks to Carlos Augusto’s late winner. Barcelona, meanwhile, fought back three times to draw 3–3 at Club Brugge, with 17-year-old Lamine Yamal among the scorers.
Chelsea avoided an upset in Baku as Alejandro Garnacho’s equaliser rescued a 2–2 draw against Qarabag, while Newcastle United earned a 2–0 home win over Athletic Bilbao through goals from Dan Burn and Joelinton.
Elsewhere, Bayer Leverkusen beat Benfica 1–0 in Lisbon, and debutants Pafos FC of Cyprus celebrated their first-ever Champions League win after a 1–0 victory over Villarreal.
