Osimhen's absence felt as Galatasaray surrender 2-goal lead against Rigas FS

• Turkish side Galatasaray’s Europa League clash with Rigas FS ended 2-2 despite a two-goal lead
• Galatasaray missed Victor Osimhen's influence in their Europa League draw with Rigas FS
• Viktors Morozs, Rigas FS coach, believed Osimhen’s presence could have changed the result

Turkish side Galatasaray found themselves on the receiving end of a dramatic comeback in their UEFA Europa League clash against Rigas FS, with the match ending in a 2-2 draw. 

The Turkish giants, who were two goals up by the first half, sorely missed the creativity and speed of injured Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen. The absence of the Napoli loanee was particularly felt as Rigas FS staged a confident fightback.

Osimhen, sidelined with a muscle injury from a recent league encounter against Kasimpasa, has been a key figure for Galatasaray, and his absence left a noticeable void in the team’s attacking force. 

Prior to the match, coach Okan Buruk acknowledged the challenge ahead, stating that although Osimhen was a crucial miss, he expected the rest of the squad to rise to the occasion.

“We have a good squad. The players coming from the bench are also strong players. We have a major absence like Victor Osimhen, but there are still very valuable and important players on the bench.” 

“It is an important match, we want to continue by winning. We are playing away, an environment that our opponents are more familiar with, but we want to show our own game quality,” Buruk being optimistic said before the game.

Galatasaray appeared to be cruising toward victory with Dries Mertens’ early goal in the 12th minute, followed by Yunus Akgun doubling the lead from Davinson Sánchez's well-placed cross. But Rigas FS refused to go down without a fight, with Janis Ikaunieks pulling one back just before halftime and Lasha Odisharia levelling the game early in the second half.

After the match, Rigas FS coach Viktors Morozs pointed out the difference Osimhen’s presence could have made, 

“It would have been different if Osimhen had played. He would have added strength to Galatasaray. Osimhen is a different player than Icardi. In my opinion, he could have passed our defence more easily.”

“It would have been difficult to play against such a forward. His not playing today was a deficiency for Galatasaray. Osimhen is a strong and dangerous player. It would have been difficult for us if he had played today,” Morozs mentioned after the match.

Galatasaray's current Europa League campaign has seen mixed results, with this draw leaving them 8th in the standings, tied on points with Ajax and Eintracht Frankfurt. Despite this, they remain just two points shy of the top of the table.

Osimhen becomes most-followed Nigerian footballer on IG, here are the 9 most followed after him

Previously, TheRadar reported that Osimhen’s growing social media presence can be attributed to his electrifying performances for his new club, especially his assist run in his last three games. 

After his record-setting loan move to Galatasaray, Osimhen’s follower count surged dramatically, proving his growing popularity among fans around the world. Within two weeks of the transfer, the 25-year-old saw his Instagram followers increase by 848,000, making him Nigeria’s leading most-followed personality in football.