Victor Osimhen etched his name into Turkish football history on Wednesday night, scoring twice to break the single-season goal record for a foreign player and guide Galatasaray to a 3-0 victory over Trabzonspor in the Turkish Cup final.
The Nigerian striker, entering the match with 33 goals, needed two to surpass Mario Jardel’s 34-goal mark set in the 2000/01 season. Osimhen delivered, striking in the 46th and 63rd minutes to reach 35 goals across all competitions, securing Galatasaray’s record 19th Turkish Cup title.
The scoring began early, with Baris Yilmaz netting in the fifth minute off a clever pass from Yunus Akgun. Osimhen stole the spotlight after the break, first powering a low shot from the edge of the box into the bottom right corner, then sealing the record with a stunning turn and curling strike into the top corner.
Osimhen’s 35 goals in 38 appearances this season also moved him past Jardel on Galatasaray’s all-time foreign goalscorers list, with only seven others, led by Romania’s Gheorghe Hagi (72 goals), ahead of him.
Galatasaray now eyes a domestic double, with a win over Kayserispor on Sunday poised to clinch their 25th league title. It would mark the club’s fourth double, the last achieved in 1998–99.