Less than one and a half seasons since trading Napoli for Galatasaray, first on a loan move before Gala egg heads made it permanent last summer transfer window, Victor Osimhen has smashed virtually all records at the Rams Park. Aside winning the golden boot and golden ball-for the highest goal scorer and Best Player Award respectively, the Nigerian international smashed 24-year-old record for the most goals by a foreign player in a single season after scoring 35 goals across all competitions in his first season, surpassing the previous record of 34 goals held by Brazilian Mario Jardel. And just on Tuesday, the 26-year-old became the first Nigerian player to score 10 goals in the UEFA Champions League with his lone strike against Liverpool

Super Eagles forward, Victor Osimhen etched his name into the history books on Tuesday night after becoming the first Nigerian player to hit double figures in the UEFA Champions League.

Osimhen, 26, achieved the milestone during Galatasaray’s 1-0 win over Premier League champions Liverpool at Rams Park in a Champions League phase clash.

Osimhen, who was handed his first full start for the Turkish giants since returning from an ankle injury, showed no signs of rust as he confidently converted from the spot in the 16th minute.

His cool finish past Liverpool goalkeeper, Alisson Becker not only gave Galatasaray an early lead but also pushed his Champions League tally to 10 goals, making him the most prolific Nigerian in the competition’s history. He also ended the game with the man-of-the-match award.

Osimhen now stands ahead of former Inter Milan forward, Obafemi Martins, who scored nine times in Europe’s premier club tournament. Ademola Lookman, Nwankwo Kanu, Victor Ikpeba, and Yakubu Aiyegbeni all trail further behind with five goals each.

Meanwhile, Victor Osimhen has lauded Liverpool as ‘one of the greatest clubs in the world’ after helping fire Galatasaray to victory against the Reds on Tuesday evening. The Nigerian netted the winner in the first half, converting from the penalty spot early on to secure a memorable triumph for the Turkish heavyweights.

The result marked Galatasaray’s first home Champions League victory in seven years, with the final whistle sparking jubilant scenes amongst Okan Buruk’s players and their passionate supporters.

Osimhen had been a fitness concern ahead of kick-off, having only just returned from a month-long injury layoff as a late substitute on Friday evening.

However, after being restored to Galatasaray’s starting line-up, the 26-year-old has called on his teammates to harness the victory as inspiration for the rest of their European campaign.

“I’m extremely happy about the performance we put in about one of the greatest clubs in the world,” he told CBS Sports after the final whistle.

“For us, we never get carried away because this is a true test that Liverpool gave to us and I’m really happy about this win.

“It won’t take away that they are one of the best teams in the last decade. For us, it’s a really big motivation for us.

“They made us even better and we know we have a lot of things to work on. I’m really happy for this win and the team.

“We have quality in our team and we just need to be focused in many games in this competition.

“This is a huge step for us and we won’t be carried away because we beat Liverpool. It’s a big motivation.”

Osimhen also confessed it was a ‘huge moment’ to net the decisive goal past Becker as he praised the Brazilian – who limped off with an injury in the second half – as amongst the finest keepers on the planet.

The Nigerian striker has now faced off against Alisson and Liverpool on three separate occasions, with Tuesday evening’s triumph marking the second time he’s emerged victorious.

Yet, his winner against the Reds represented the first occasion he’d found the net against the six-time European champions, having previously watched Alisson thwart him from 12 yards during his Napoli days back in 2022.

Osimhen revealed his earlier miss had been weighing on his mind before stepping up to face the Liverpool goalkeeper once more as he finally laid his past disappointments to rest.

“You come face-to-face with one of the best goalkeepers in the world, Alisson,” he said. “I have to be on high concentration for the place where I want to put the ball and I didn’t change it.

“For me, it’s a huge moment. I came against him when I played for my previous club and he held my penalty so I needed to be highly concentrated to do better.”

Before securing his permanent switch to Galatasaray from Napoli this summer, Osimhen had been touted for a potential move to Liverpool.

However, Liverpool boss, Arne Slot was seemingly not too impressed with Osimhen’s antics during his side’s defeat to Galatasaray on Tuesday.

The striker’s penalty was enough to secure the Turkish champions a 1-0 win in Istanbul, and provide the Reds with a setback in their hopes of reaching the Champions League knockout stages.

Interestingly, Liverpool Manager, Arne Slot  didn’t seem all that enamoured with the way in which Galatasaray protected its lead.

The second half was littered with stoppages as the hosts took every chance to run down the clock, with Liverpool’s boss seen involved in an angry exchange with Osimhen at one point as the striker waited to make his way back onto the field.

“It is difficult to compare this situation to before. We are sometimes a bit outsmarted in situations like this and I cannot blame Dominik Szoboszlai for the situation. They make a 20 per cent penalty a 100 per cent penalty, which is very smart from them.”

Prior to joining Galatasaray permanently from Napoli this summer, Osimhen had repeatedly been linked with a move to Liverpool.

However, ahead of facing the Turkish giants, Arne Slot had played down suggestions that the Nigerian was ever on the Reds’ transfer shortlist.

Meanwhile, Turkish football transfer expert, Süleyman Rodop has revealed that Osimhen played his side’s UEFA Champions League tie against Liverpool with painkiller injections.

Before the encounter, Osimhen had sustained an ankle ligament injury against Rwanda in a World Cup qualifier while on international duty with the Super Eagles of Nigeria a few weeks ago.

“Victor Osimhen played the Liverpool match with painkiller injections,” Rodop was quoted by Habersarikirmizi as saying.

“A day before the match, he said, ‘I have to play in this match, I will play with injections if necessary.’

“Whether Victor Osimhen will play in the Be kta match will be determined in a day or two.”

Galatasaray’s next fixture is against Beikta in the Süper Lig this weekend.