Juventus icon Alessandro Del Piero has showered praise on Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen, insisting the forward’s influence goes far beyond scoring goals.
Osimhen played a pivotal role in Galatasaray’s commanding 5–2 victory over Juventus in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League knockout play-off clash on Tuesday night.
Although the Nigerian forward did not find the net, he delivered two crucial assists as the Turkish champions overturned a 2–1 deficit to seize control of the tie ahead of the return leg in Italy next week.
Galatasaray, featuring in the Champions League knockout rounds for the first time since the 2013/14 season, made a bright start. Gabriel Sara opened the scoring after Kenan Yildiz was dispossessed in a dangerous area.
Juventus quickly responded through Teun Koopmeiners, who finished from close range after Pierre Kalulu’s header was parried, before the visitors grabbed a second before halftime.
Osimhen had already signalled his danger, firing a volley over the bar, forcing Michele Di Gregorio into a sharp low save, and directing a header towards the bottom corner that tested the goalkeeper.
The momentum shifted decisively after the break. Noa Lang restored parity after Di Gregorio could only push Baris Alper Yilmaz’s effort into his path. Davinson Sanchez then powered in from a free-kick to put the hosts back in front.
Juventus’ hopes faded further when Juan Cabal received his second yellow card with over 20 minutes left to play. Galatasaray capitalised almost immediately, with Osimhen at the heart of the move. Pressing aggressively, he intercepted a loose pass and slipped a neat through ball to Lang for a straightforward finish to make it 4–2.
Osimhen was not done. In the 86th minute, he turned provider once again, setting up substitute Sacha Boey inside the area. Boey calmly slotted home to seal an emphatic victory for the Turkish side.
Speaking on Sky Sport Italia, Del Piero highlighted the striker’s psychological impact on opponents.
“The mere presence of players like Victor Osimhen instils fear in you. He only took one shot, right? But it instils fear anyway. There’s ruthlessness in him, there’s quality in him. He never stops,” the former Juventus captain said.
Del Piero also echoed comments previously made by Luciano Spalletti, pointing out Juventus’ vulnerability when they fail to perform at their best.
“If Juventus don’t play at their best, they are at risk,” he added. “They risk lacking that presence and personality on the pitch and when that happens, opponents who are playing good football can overwhelm them.”
With a three-goal cushion, Galatasaray head into the second leg full of confidence and with Osimhen once again proving that his impact extends well beyond the scoresheet.
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