Nigeria international Victor Osimhen made his long-awaited return from injury on Wednesday night, but it was not enough to prevent Galatasaray from suffering a 2-0 defeat to Gençlerbirliği in a Turkish Cup clash at Rams Park.
The Super Eagles forward was making his first appearance since being sidelined with a forearm fracture sustained during Galatasaray’s UEFA Champions League Round of 16 encounter against Liverpool FC at Anfield.
Osimhen, who recently completed a permanent move to the Istanbul giants, had missed four league matches during his recovery.
In his absence, Galatasaray endured an inconsistent run of form in games against Trabzonspor, Göztepe, Kocaelispor and Gençlerbirliği.
The 27-year-old striker was introduced with 11 minutes remaining, replacing Guinea-Bissau midfielder Renato Nhaga, as manager Okan Buruk looked for a late spark.
However, the hosts were unable to overturn the deficit, with goals from Fıratcan Üzüm and Adama Traoré sealing an impressive away victory for the visitors.
Despite the disappointing result, Osimhen’s return will be seen as a major boost for Galatasaray as the season approaches its crucial final stretch.
The Turkish champions had managed only two wins in four matches without their star forward.
Before his injury setback, Osimhen was in outstanding form, scoring 19 goals and providing seven assists in 29 appearances across all competitions.
With domestic titles still up for grabs, Galatasaray will now hope the Nigerian striker can quickly regain full sharpness and inspire the club’s push for silverware in the closing weeks of the campaign.