Victor Osimhen made headlines on Wednesday night by scoring two goals, breaking the record for the most goals by a foreign player in a single Turkish football season, ultimately helping the Istanbul team secure the Turkish Cup with a convincing 3-0 victory over Trabzonspor.
The Nigerian striker arrived at the final held at the Gaziantep Stadium with an impressive total of 33 goals across all competitions, just one goal away from matching the long-standing record of 34 set by Mario Jardel in the 2000/01 season.
Osimhen not only matched but exceeded this mark with goals in the 46th and 63rd minutes, raising his season tally to 35 goals in 38 matches during a remarkable debut season in Turkey.
Galatasaray opened the scoring early, with Barış Alper Yılmaz finishing off a brilliant team effort within five minutes, following a well-placed assist from Yunus Akgün. This goal set the stage for a dominating performance from Okan Buruk’s squad, who remained largely unthreatened, even with a few attempts from Trabzonspor’s Anthony Nwakaeme and Ozan Tufan in the first half.
After several missed opportunities, Osimhen extended Galatasaray’s advantage just one minute into the second half, perfectly timing his run to receive a through ball from Yılmaz. He shielded the ball skillfully from a defender before directing a low shot past Trabzonspor’s goalkeeper, Uğurcan Çakır.
His second goal followed shortly after, around 15 minutes later. After a corner was recycled, Yunus Akgün found an opening on the right and sent in an accurate pass to the box. Osimhen controlled the ball with finesse and curled it into the top corner, igniting jubilant celebrations among Galatasaray supporters.
With his brace, Osimhen not only contributed to Galatasaray’s sixth Turkish Cup victory since 2000 but also ascended the ranks of the club’s all-time foreign goalscorers, surpassing Mario Jardel and now chasing Romanian great Gheorghe Hagi, the all-time leader with 72 strikes.
The final whistle marked Galatasaray’s historic 19th Turkish Cup title, reinforcing their reputation as the most successful team in the tournament’s history, ahead of Beşiktaş (11), Trabzonspor (9), and Fenerbahçe (7).
With the cup now secured, Galatasaray aims to achieve a domestic double by facing Kayserispor on Sunday. A victory would clinch their 25th league title and their first double since the 1998/99 season.
