'May God bless Osimhen' - Turkish pundit lavishes praise on Galatasaray striker despite UEL loss

Galatasaray's adventure in the UEFA Europa League (UEL) came to an end on Thursday evening following a 6-3 loss on aggregate to Dutch opponents AZ Alkmaar.

The visitors established a two-goal lead before the 56th minute thanks to goals from Seiya Maikuma and Denso Kasius, but the Turkish champions netted twice to earn a draw.

In the 56th minute, Victor Osimhen lifted the spirits of the home crowd with a thunderous half-volley, cutting the aggregate deficit to four goals.

The Nigeria international netted for the fifth successive game in the Europa League and became the first Galatasaray player to score six or more goals in the post-qualifying stages of European competition since Burak Yılmaz in the 2012-2013 Champions League.

In a heartfelt reflection after the game at Ali Sami Yen Spor Kompleksi RAMS Park, respected Turkish football commentator Uğur Karakullukçu expressed deep disappointment over the conclusion of Victor Osimhen’s European adventure, blaming Galatasaray for the striker not achieving his goal of winning the competition.

"May God bless Osimhen. He tried so hard. He is a player whose story Galatasaray has ruined. I am sad that Osimhen's story ended like this in Europe," Karakullukçu said on his YouTube channel, as reported by habersarikirmizi.com.

Despite the unfortunate exit, Karakullukçu praised Osimhen’s commitment and performance, noting that the forward gave his best during this season's Europa League.

"He represented the Galatasaray jersey very well in Europe, kudos to him. Galatasaray's only game for the last three months has been to hype Osimhen. He didn't trip or do anything. He did his best," he added.

Osimhen and his teammates have no time to dwell on the loss to AZ Alkmaar, with bitter rivals Fenerbahce next up in a mouthwatering Turkish Super Lig clash on Monday, February 24.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel 

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