Galatasaray no-show: Victor Osimhen’s coach explains Man City defeat

Despite the presence of their masked assassin Victor Osimhen, the Turkish giants were unable to breach Manchester City’s fortress, falling 2-0 in their final Champions League league phase encounter.

While thousands of travelling fans had hoped for a repeat of Osimhen’s historic goal-scoring exploits, the night was defined by City's clinical first-half performance and a defensive resilience that left the Super Eagles talisman isolated for long periods.

Speaking to UEFA in the immediate aftermath of the defeat, Galatasaray head coach Okan Buruk was honest about where the match was lost.

While he praised his team's improved spirit after the interval, he admitted that the damage done in the opening 45 minutes was insurmountable.

"We showed two different types of play," Buruk explained. "We were better in the second half, especially when we kept the ball at our feet and had more possession. We did better than the first half, but we conceded two goals in the first half and didn't score."

The tactical gulf was evident as City's Next Gen stars, led by Rayan Cherki and Nico O'Reilly, controlled the tempo, forcing Galatasaray into a reactive game plan that limited Osimhen to just two significant sights of goal.

Buruk lamented the lack of a clinical edge early in the second half, which might have changed the psychological dynamic of the match.

"If we'd scored an early goal in the second half, maybe we could have thought about a draw, but they have good players, a good coach, and they were better than us."

Osimhen, who was chasing the record for the most European goals by a foreign player in Galatasaray's history, was denied twice by sharp saves from Gianluigi Donnarumma.

His frustration mirrored that of his manager, as the "proper feeding" required to unlock City's defense never materialised.

Despite the loss, Galatasaray’s European journey continues. By finishing within the top 24 of the league phase, Buruk’s men have secured their place in the knockout playoffs, a two-legged battle to decide who reaches the Round of 16.

Buruk remains defiant about his squad's potential to cause an upset in the next round:

"We are now in the top 24. We have a good team and strong players, and I hope we will be even better in the next round."

Galatasaray will now await the draw to see which drop-down opponent they will face in February. With the Turkish league leaders boasting a squad that includes Ilkay Gundogan, Leroy Sané, and a motivated Osimhen, no team in the playoffs will relish a trip to the RAMS Park.

As Buruk noted, the experience at the Etihad was a lesson in elite-level management. Now, the mission is to ensure that by the time the playoffs arrive, they are even better than the version of themselves that took the field in Manchester.