Osimhen fires Rwanda, Zimbabwe warning with Gala hat-trick

Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen turned up in style again for the Turkish giants on Saturday with a hat-trick in their 4-0 win over Antalyaspor, sending warning signals to Nigeria’s opponents in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers, Saturday PUNCH reports.

Osimhen’s performance also sent him to the top of the Turkish Super Lig scorer’s chart with 20 goals, as Galatasaray also opened a 10-point gap ahead of Fenerbahce (who have played two games less) ahead of the international break.

The Nigerian striker opened scoring in the match-day 27 encounter by meeting Alvaro Morata’s pinpoint far-post pass, slamming the ball home to give Galatasaray a 1-0 lead.

His second came on the stroke of halftime, courtesy of a brilliant delivery from Barış Alper Yılmaz down the right, which Osimhen dispatched with precision to make it 3-0 after he had handed Morata the opportunity to double the lead from the penalty spot moments earlier.

He sealed his hat-trick in style after the restart, racing onto Yunus Akgün’s exquisite through ball before hammering a low shot past the goalkeeper, pushing the score to 4-0.

The 26-year-old has now scored 20 goals this season for Galatasaray in the Lig, overtaking former leader Krzysztof Piatek (18) as the player with the most goals this season.

Osimhen’s form will be a warning signal to Nigeria’s opponents; Rwanda and Zimbabwe, as the Super Eagles regroup on Sunday to revive their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.

The on-loan striker, who is yet to feature in the ill-fated series due to injuries in the past will be expected to lead the line for coach Eric Chelle’s first assignments in charge of the Super Eagles.

“You have to give everything; you know it’s a dream of every youngster to be at the World Cup. Mine is no exception. So for me, I want to be there just like every one of my teammates and we are really looking forward to the game against Rwanda and Zimbabwe to try and correct all the mistakes we have made in the past. So, we will be ready,” Osimhen said ahead of the qualifiers.

Nigeria will face Rwanda in Kigali on March 21 and Zimbabwe at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo on March 25.

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