IKENWA ASHIBUOGWU NNABUOGOR
Victor Osihmen not only showed love and compassion, he also proved he was touched by an angel by letting Spanish mate Alvaro Morata take the penalty in their 4-0 rout of Antayalspor in the Turkish Super Lig tie yesterday.
Morata, who arrived in Istanbul last winter, made no mistake from the spot for the Gala’s second goal en route to the sweet 4-0 annihilation.
Osihmen, the champion club’s designated official penalty taker preached the fair play side of the beautiful game by letting Morata register his name on the score sheet. The former Real Madrid star had only struck once since his winter transfer from AC Milan.
His lone effort also from the spot just 12 minutes away had controversy wrapped around it as the game against Adana Demirspor was abandoned by the aggrieved Adana players who walked out of the game. The soccer authorities later awarded Galatasaray three goals and three points.
Osihmen had forced an Antayalspor defender to desperately handle the ball in their vital area melee as scores stood 1-0 just before the interval for a VAR penalty decision to judge Gala rights. Osihmen, who had earlier put his side ahead in the 30th minute, gifted Morata the ball to improve his tally in the scorer’s log and the Spaniard accepted the gift and made a goal out of it. Morata had served him a hot one for Osihmen’s opener and the league top scorer was only returning the favour.
The angel touched Osihmen again and just before the recess, the former Napoli star struck again to end the first half 3-0. He would have gone to rest for the break, a proud hat trick banger had he blindsided Morata and taken it himself.
God and the angel had other plans for the talisman as the two warring sides resumed play after the recess. The hat trick was finally his as he received a tee off from Yunus Akgun and sweetly found the scoring range for his third of the game and a deserved victory for the champions.
Osihmen was to have four in the bag in the chilly Istanbul night but he chose to share and was content with the hat trick. The commemorative hat trick ball accompanied home and on to his personal cabinet where several other hat trick balls were kept.
Every game for Galatasaray since Osihmen arrived has been war for the talisman and the visitors were equally prepared to stop him. But game after game, they seem not to the antidote to stop him.
His pure heart made of goal for this rare Morata gesture gladdened even the angels to make sure he was made the four-star general in the war. None of his hat trick came easy; heavy artillery by the visitors weakly gave way for the Nigerian bomber to bomb his way to a hat trick. He was done, finished the game as a contest early enough and went to rest in the dug out in the 68th minute.
The gaffer pulled his out for the next “war” after the FIFA break and the remaining ones as the league in the former Ottoman Empire hits the home stretch.
Good one for the Super Eagles’ hit man as he’s holding his head high for the crucial double 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe this weekend in Kigali and four days later in Uyo.
His Morata gesture has generated wide media attention as his selflessness was hailed by football watchers worldwide. The viral video of a kid fan gifted his pull over after the game has also dominated the air lately.
Such was the rare gesture Osihmen took outside of the pitch as his teeming fans continued to grow globally.
Osihmen discovered the secrets of selflessness on time since his soccer career started and the rewards he’s been enjoying with the frequency of his goals and assists.
Istanbul Basaksehir Polish striker Krzysztof Piatek had maintained a healthy lead in the scorer’s chart for a long time while Osihmen, Trabzonspor’s Banza and En-Nesri of Fenerbahce kept up the chase.
Osihmen, a healthy competitor he’s always been, didn’t mind giving up his penalty chance to a team mate as the spirit of fairplay built a castle around him. He did his thing and hat trick ball accompanied home while the top scorer’s chart changed with him at the top, bettering Piatek with two goals.
All his 20 goals thus far were squeezed out from the hard rocks with only six from the spot and 10 fired in in the first half, Osihmen’s goals have refused to come easy.
The coming fixtures will be exciting as Osihmen will have no choice than to continue painting the Super Lig with goals and scaring away Piatek and company.
It will be a historic great one for him amidst his much publicized troubles he carried over from Napoli to run away with the league title and the top scorer’s award.
Winning the double honours will be a mouthwatering feat considering the controversies that trailed his Galatasaray move.
Should he grab the top scorer’s award he would be the fourth African and first Nigerian to achieve that feat.
Osihmen continues the rich Nigerian connection with the record Turkish league champions after former Super Eagles’ striker Dominic Iorfa opened the floodgates in 1991.
Former Eagles’ players Henry Onyekuru and Peter Etebo complete the sweet Nigerian connection with the big club.
Jesse Sekidika and Valentine Ozornwafor only played nominal roles before they were offloaded to other clubs.
Surely, Osihmen’s touched by the angels and he will show some more fairplay and ultimately leave the Turkish Super Lig with head his high.
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