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Gaziantep 0-3 Galatasaray: Victor Osimhen sends clear message as Cimbom begin title defence with easy win

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11 months ago

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Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen was a notable absentee as Galatasaray strolled to a 3-0 victory over Gaziantep in their opening game of the Turkish Super Lig season, Soccernet.ng reports.

Osimhen and Mauro Icardi’s names were conspicuously missing from Galatasaray’s squad to take on Gaziantep at the Kaylon Stadyumu on Friday.

Still, with stars like Leroy Sane, Baris Alper Yilmaz, and Gabriel Sara, the Cimbom were the odds on favourites to claim all three points.

Last season, Galatasatay coach Orkan Buruk employed a high octane, attack-focused approach in their league games, and they stayed true to that philosophy against Gaziantep in their league opener.

The Cimbom committed men into the final third from the blast of the whistle, pressing them from the front to force mistake and create chances.

It took just 10 minutes for Gaziantep to falter. Galatasaray won a penalty after a lengthy VAR review showed that a defender upended Roland Sallai, who was trying to get on the end of a cross from a corner kick.

Osimhen is the usual penalty taker, but Alper Yilmaz took charge of the responsibility and slotted the ball in to make it 1-0.

While the home side were still reeling from the shock of conceding first, Galatasaray struck again. This time, through new signing Eren Elmali.

Alper Yimaz got a chance in the box, but instead of shooting, he showed some beautiful footwork to outfox his marker and laid a pass to Elmali who was running free.

The former Trabzonspor man simply poked the ball from close range to make it 2-0 after 16 minutes. After that, the game balanced out a little. However, they could not find the net.

Leroy Sane got an opportunity towards the end of the first half after he was played through on goal by a fine pass. But his attempt from inside the box was terrible, as it went high and wide.

Things got worse for Gaziantep just before the break, as they conceded another penalty after Sallai’s heel was clipped in the box. The referee did not even need a VAR review for that one.

Alper Yimaz took charge of the situation again and converted his spot kick to make it 3-0.

Galatasaray dominated the second half and even got a man advantage after Gaziantep’s goalie Mustafa Bozan was sent off for handling the ball outside the box. However, the Cimbom failed to score, as the game eventually ended 3-0.

Watch Gaziantep vs Galatasaray Highlights

Victor Osimhen Sends Strong Message to Galatasaray Fans, Teammates
Victor Osimhen’s absence from Galatasaray’s game did not come as a surprise, as the Super Eagles star did not have a pre-season due to the uncertainty surrounding his future.

Nonetheless, he followed the game. The 26-year-old Super Eagles star posted a video of him watching the match on a television. At the time, Erin Elmali was celebrating the second goal for Galatasaray.

Osimhen captioned it, “Big mood, we keep going!”

The Super Eagles star has a good relationship with his teammates, and it was clearly a solidarity post to show that even though he was not on the pitch, he was supporting them.

Galatasaray’s next game is against Fatih Katagumruk at Rams Park next week Saturday, and Victor Osimhen should be available to play.

 

 

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World Cup 2026: Messi Pinpoints What Argentina Did Wrong Against Cape Verde

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1 week ago

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July 4, 2026

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Argentina captain, Lionel Messi, has pinpointed what his team did wrong against Cape Verde during both sides’ World Cup Round of 32 encounter.

The match ended 1-1 after 90 minutes at the Miami Stadium, but Argentina went on to win 3-2 in extra time.

Diney Borges’ own goal ensured Lionel Scaloni’s side eliminated the Blue Sharks from the competition.

Speaking at his post-match interview after the game, Messi admitted that Argentina couldn’t press Cape Verde properly during the encounter.

According to him, Scaloni’s side was also disjointed against the African side, and their lines were far apart.

“I think we couldn’t press them well, our lines were kind of far apart at times,” Messi said via FIFA’s website.

“When we wanted to jump from the defensive pivot, it was too far a distance for the center-backs, and we ended up a bit disjointed.

“They always had an extra man because we couldn’t match up, and that’s why they kept the ball and made us run, because we couldn’t press them properly.”
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‘We Dignify Our Country’ — Bubista Hails Cape Verde’s Historic World Cup Run

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1 week ago

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July 4, 2026

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Cape Verde head coach Bubista has said they can be proud of their historic run at the FIFA World Cup 2026, Completesports.com reports.

The Blue Stars bowed out of the competition following a 3-2 defeat to defending champions Argentina in Miami.

Blue Stars Put Up Brave Fight

Argentina took the lead twice in the keenly contested encounter and the West Africans answered both times, but with ten minutes to play in extra time a Lionel Messi corner led to an own goal from Diney Borges that sent La Albiceste into the Round of 16.

Messi opened the scoring shortly after the first hydration break, calmly lifting the ball over the advancing Vozinha after bringing down Lisandro Martinez’s precise pass over the top.

Cape Verde equalised in the 59th minute through Deroy Duarte.

Vozinha made several key saves, including blocking Messi from point blank range to send the game to extra time

It took the Albiceleste just two minutes of extra time to retake the lead. Lisandro Martinez collected a loose ball from a corner kick and lashed over Vozinha at the near post.

Cape Verde refused to surrender. Left-back Sidny Lopes Cabral produced one of the goals of the tournament, curling a sensational effort into the top corner from the edge of the box to draw Bubista’s side level for the second time in the contest.

Messi’s corner however caused an own goal that saw Argentina through to the last 16.

Bubista Thumbs Up Players

Bubista said Cape Verde, who were making their maiden World Cup appearance, had dignified themselves with their performances in the competition.

“We dignify what our country is. We drew twice against the world champions, we took it to extra time… More than anything, it’s being proud of our players who were dignified in the World Cup. We showed our identity,” Bubista was quoted by FIFA.com.

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World Cup 2026: Ghana’s Performance Was Below Average —Gyan

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1 week ago

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July 4, 2026

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Former Black Stars captain Asamoah Gyan has delivered a candid assessment of Ghana’s performance following the team’s 1-0 defeat to Colombia, describing the display as below the expected standard and insisting the South Americans fully deserved their victory.

Ghana’s hopes of advancing at the FIFA World Cup came to an end after Colombia capitalised on a first-half opportunity to secure the only goal of the match, sending the Black Stars out of the tournament.

Reacting to the outcome, Ghana’s all-time leading scorer said the Black Stars lacked the intensity and attacking determination required in a match of such importance.

“Today’s performance was below average, no sense of urgency,” Gyan was quoted by Ghana sport platform Joy Online.

Gyan expressed concern about Ghana’s inability to commit enough players forward, particularly after falling behind, noting that the Black Stars struggled to pose sustained attacking threats inside the Colombian penalty area.

“We (Ghana) did not have men in the box.”

Also Read:World Cup 2026: Semenyo Calls On Black Stars To Be More Aggressive With Referees After England Penalty Row

He contrasted Ghana’s approach with that of Colombia, saying the South Americans maintained their attacking intent even after taking the lead instead of merely defending their advantage.

“Colombia were ahead but kept fighting to score more.”

Summing up the contest, the former Sunderland and Al Ain striker conceded that Colombia were the better side on the day.

“To summarise everything, Colombia deserved the win.”

Gyan’s comments add to the growing post-match analysis following Ghana’s exit from the tournament, with several players and football analysts pointing to the team’s struggles in the attacking third despite signs of improvement in defensive organisation under newly appointed head coach Carlos Queiroz.

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