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Top Nigerian scorer
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Victor Osimhen already enjoys hero status amongst Galatasaray fans and his reputation soared further after his first Champions League hat-trick for the club. The 26-year-old netted all three goals as Gala secured an impressive 3-0 win against Ajax in Amsterdam and he’s currently the top goalscorer in the competition with six - one goal ahead of Harry Kane, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé.
Osimhen headed home Leroy Sane’s cross on 59 minutes to open the scoring before slotting home two penalties to propel the Süper Lig giants up to ninth in the standings. The Nigerian international returned to Gala on a €75 million permanent deal this summer from Napoli after a successful loan spell and he’s scored 46 goals in 52 games for the Istanbul club. Osimhen has now scored in eight consecutive European games for Galatasaray, which is a club record.
Galatasaray: Longest scoring runs in Europe
Osimhen has scored in all three of Gala’s Champions League wins this season after missing the opening matchday defeat to Frankfurt. All of the Nigerian striker’s goals have been decisive; the only goal in the 1-0 win over Liverpool, a brace in the 3-1 triumph over Bodo/Glimt and the Ajax hat-trick. Osimhen’s eight game scoring run in Europe started with a brace in the 3-2 win over Tottenham last November in the Europa League and he’s scored 12 goals in total during the streak.
As the graphic above illustrates, Burak Yılmaz previously held the record of six consecutive games during the 2012/13 campaign. The former Türkiye international scored eight goals across his six game run. Milan Baros and Ümit Karan scored in five consecutive games, while five players - including the legendary Hakan Sukur - netted in four games on the bounce. Interestingly, Osimhen became the top Nigerian goalscorer in Europe with his Ajax hat-trick with 25 in all competitions, which eclipsed Obafemi Martins’ previous record of 23.
