Victor Osimhen etched his name into Turkish football history on Wednesday night, breaking the single-season goal record for a foreign player as Galatasaray clinched the Turkish Cup with a dominant 3-0 victory over Trabzonspor, Insight Media Sports Arena reports.
Entering the final with 33 goals, the Nigerian striker needed two more to surpass the long-standing 34-goal mark set by Mario Jardel during the 2000/01 season. Osimhen rose to the occasion, scoring in the 46th and 63rd minutes to take his tally to 35 goals in all competitions—setting a new record and securing Galatasaray’s 19th Turkish Cup triumph, the most by any club in the country.
The match began with an early breakthrough from Baris Yilmaz, who found the net in the fifth minute after a slick assist from Yunus Akgun. But the spotlight soon shifted to Osimhen.
His first goal came right after halftime with a powerful, low drive from the edge of the area that nestled in the bottom corner. The second was a display of precision and flair, as he turned sharply inside the box and curled a superb shot into the top corner.
With 35 goals in 38 appearances, Osimhen has now surpassed Brazil’s Mario Jardel on Galatasaray’s list of all-time top-scoring foreign players. He now ranks among the top eight, with only legends like Romania’s Gheorghe Hagi—who leads with 72 goals—ahead of him.
Galatasaray now stands on the brink of a historic domestic double. A win against Kayserispor on Sunday would secure their 25th league title and complete their fourth league and cup double, the first since the 1998–99 season.