Istanbul is Osimhen's playground: Nigerian dominantly ruins Bodo/Glimt

Bodo/Glimt came to Istanbul seeking a positive result against Galatasaray, but they were slapped in the face by Victor Osimhen instead! Thanks to one of the most dominating individual performances in this Champions League campaign, Galatasaray smashed the Norwegian side 3-1, while the Nigerian bagged a first-half brace and was the most deserving for the third goal scored by Yunus Akgun.

Furthermore, Osimhen could have netted at least four goals, but Bodo/Glimt's custodian Nikita Haikin managed to prevent him from single-handedly demolishing his team.

As for the visitors, they only managed to score a consolation goal over Andreas Helmersen, as they have yet to win a UCL match.

After suffering a minor knock in the match's opening minutes, Osimhen started dominating the pitch, as he had three chances in the first seven and a half minutes. The second and third - both headers - were saved by Bodo/Glimt custodian Nikita Haikin. However, the first one, three minutes into the game, hit the mark!

Galatasaray initiated a quick counterattack, and the two Africans sealed the visitors' fate. The Gabonese Mario Lemina assisted, and the Nigerian Osimhen skilfully finished, finding the bottom-left corner of Haikin's goal.

Nevertheless, one goal could never satiate the ex-Napoli man's hunger... Half an hour later, he suddenly found himself in a massive chance after Bodo/Glimt's Fredrik Bjorkan practically passed him the ball. Still, the proven net-buster that Osimhen is, wasn't caught off guard, as he dribbled the ball past the keeper, and doubled the home team's lead.

Salah, Hakimi, Osimhen and Guirassy among the nominees for African Player of Year

By the break, he could have completed a hat-trick, but his effort from the right side went wide. On the other hand, the visitors threatened twice in the final five minutes of the first period, but the ex-AC Milan forward Jens Hauge missed the target from a promising position, while Sondre Fet hit the post from range.

In the first chance after the break, Osimhen tried to be selfless, setting a perfect opportunity for his teammates Yunus Akgun and Leroy Sane, who failed to find the net. Still, six minutes later, the Nigerian stole the ball to the visitors' defender Haitam Aleesami and this time, Akgun did not miss, making it 3-0, though at least half of his goal belonged to the resilient Victor.

In the 67th minute, Osimhen had the last chance to complete a brace, but Haikin stopped him one-on-one. Minutes later, Mauro Icardi replaced him on the pitch, as the packed Rams Park (over 53,000 people) escorted the the African with standing ovations.

Only three minutes following the substitution, the visitors scored a consolation goal over Andreas Helmersen, though it came too late to jeopardize Galatasaray's victory, which moved the Istanbul side to the top half of the UCL table. On the other hand, the Norwegian side has yet to win a match in the competition, as this defeat came after two initial draws against Slavia Prague and Tottenham.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 3

Tuesday

Barcelona - Olympiacos 6-1 (2-0)

/Fermin Lopez 7, 39, 76, Yamal 68 pen, Rashford 74, 79 - El Kaabi 54 pen/

Kairat - Pafos 0-0

Arsenal - Atletico Madrid 4-0 (0-0)

/Gabriel 57, Martinelli 64, Gyokeres 67, 70/

Copenhagen - Dortmund 2-4 (1-1)

/Anton 34 og, Dadason 90+1 - Nmecha 20, 77, Bensebaini 61 pen, Silva 87/

Leverkusen - PSG 2-7 (1-4)

/Garcia 38 pen, 54 - Pacho 7, Doue 41, 45+3, Kvaratskhelia 44, Mendes 50, Dembele 66, Vitinha 90/

Newcastle - Benfica 3-0 (1-0)

/Gordon 32, Barnes 71, 83/

PSV - Napoli 6-2 (2-1)

/Buongiorno 35 og, Saibari 39, Man 54, 80, Pepi 87, Driouech 89 - McTominay 31, 86/

St. Gilloise - Inter 0-4 (0-2)

/Dumfries 41, Lautaro 45+1, Calhanoglu 53 pen, Esposito 76/

Villarreal - Manchester City 0-2 (0-2)

/Haaland 17, Silva 40/

Wednesday

Athletic Bilbao - Qarabag 3-1 (1-1)

/Guruzeta 40, 88, Navaro 70 - Andrade 1/

Galatasaray - Bodo/Glimt 3-1 (2-0)

/Osimhen 3, 33, Akgun 60 - Helmersen 75/

22.00: (1.45) Atalanta (4.50) Slavia Praha (7.00)

22.00: (1.18) Bayern (7.75) Club Brugge (13.0)

22.00: (1.25) Chelsea (6.50) Ajax (10.5)

22.00: (5.10) Eintr.Frankfurt (4.70) Liverpool (1.63)

22.00: (2.90) Monaco (3.45) Tottenham (2.40)

22.00: (1.48) Real Madrid (4.50) Juventus (6.75)

22.00: (2.25) Sporting (3.80) Olympique Marseille (3.15)

***odds are subject to change***