The sight of Victor Osimhen finding the back of the net at the Allianz Stadium is a familiar one for Italian football fans, but his latest strike in the Champions League carried a completely different weight. While his goal for Galatasaray added another chapter to his prolific European campaign - despite a 3-2 defeat on the night that nevertheless secured a 7-5 aggregate victory and a place in the round of 16 - it was his stoic reaction, or lack thereof, that truly caught the eye. Despite the high stakes of the continental clash, the Nigerian superstar opted for silence over celebration, later revealing that his history with the man in the opposing dugout, Luciano Spalletti, dictated his conduct on the night.
As Alessandro Costacurta effectively admitted at the end of a dramatic final night of the Champions League play-offs, he and his fellow pundits in the Sky Sports studio had come to bury Serie A's representatives in Europe - not to praise them. And yet they were left with no option to do so after two remarkable revivals proved that Italian football isn't dead yet.
Victor Osimhen has admitted that a potential Champions League round-of-16 showdown with Liverpool would feel "like revenge" for the Premier League giants. The Nigerian superstar was the hero once again for Galatasaray on Wednesday as the Turkish champions navigated a rollercoaster play-off tie against Juventus to secure their place in Friday’s highly anticipated knockout stage draw.
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