Osimhen scores against old club Lille as Galatasaray win 4-2 for first UCL points

Victor Osimhen scored against his former club Lille as Galatasaray won 4-2 at the Stade Pierre Mauroy on Wednesday, 21 October 2026, to collect their first points of this season’s UEFA Champions League league phase.

The Super Eagles striker made it 4-2 in the 61st minute and was named Player of the Match, according to UEFA’s official match record. It was his first Champions League goal of the season, and he chose not to celebrate it against the club where he spent the 2019/20 season.

Why it matters

Galatasaray had lost their first two matches in the league phase, 3-1 at Sporting CP on 9 September and 4-1 at home to Barcelona on 13 October. The win lifts the Istanbul club to 23rd in the 36-team table on three points, just inside the places that lead to the knockout phase, UEFA’s standings show. Lille are 35th and still without a point.

For Nigerian fans, the night brought a goal, the match award and Osimhen’s return to the Champions League scoresheet.

How the match unfolded

It was a lively evening in northern France. Yunus Akgün put Galatasaray ahead in the second minute, but Soriba Diaoune scored twice, in the 7th and 39th minutes, to give Lille the lead. Aleksei Batrakov equalised a minute before half-time, according to UEFA.

Galatasaray went ahead seven minutes after the break. The goal was first credited to Lucas Torreira, but UEFA’s official record lists it as an own goal by Nabil Bentaleb.

Osimhen then put the result beyond Lille. He finished a quick break, involving Barış Alper Yılmaz, past goalkeeper Berke Özer. He had a second effort ruled out for offside in the 69th minute, Vanguard and Türkiye Today reported.

What did Osimhen say?

Osimhen spoke to the broadcaster after the match, and Galatasaray published his comments in Turkish on its official website. In GistMatrix’s translation of the club’s text, he said: “I love this stadium very much. The fans are incredible. We had a tough match. I’m very happy for our team; we won. I also wish Lille success in their next matches.”

He added that Lille’s players were “very tough” and had even taken the lead, but that Galatasaray had won the match together as a team. “I’m happy that we took the three points,” he said, in the club’s account.

Galatasaray also posted his post-match comments, alongside those of Akgün and Torreira, on the club’s YouTube channel.

Why didn’t he celebrate?

Lille is where Osimhen made his name in one of Europe’s top five leagues. He joined the French club from Charleroi in Belgium in 2019 and scored 18 goals in all competitions in his only season there, before moving to Napoli in 2020.

After scoring on Wednesday, he raised his arms towards the home supporters instead of celebrating, Türkiye Today and Pulse Sports reported.

How does the league phase work?

Each of the 36 clubs plays eight matches. After the last round, the top eight go straight into the round of 16. Teams finishing from 9th to 24th go into a two-legged play-off for the remaining places, and the bottom 12 are knocked out. With five matches left, Galatasaray have work to do, but they are back in the race.

What happens next

• Tuesday, 3 November 2026: Galatasaray host Stuttgart in Istanbul on matchday 4, with kick-off at 18:45 WAT, according to UEFA’s fixture list.
• Tuesday, 24 November 2026: Aston Villa, who have won all three of their matches, visit Istanbul.
• Lille: the French side, 35th with no points, are still looking for their first win of the league phase.

Did you watch the match? Tell GistMatrix whether Osimhen was right not to celebrate against his old club.