By Kayode John
RFS coach Viktors Morozs has acknowledged that his team benefitted from the absence of Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen in the 2-2 draw with Galatasaray in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday.
Osimhen missed the game due to an injury, leaving Mauro Icardi to spearhead Galatasaray’s attack as Dries Mertens and Yunus Akgun gave them a two-goal lead before Janis Ikaunieks and Lasha Odisharia levelled the score for the hosts.
“It would have been different if Osimhen had played. He would have added strength to Galatasaray,” Morozs said after the game.
“Osimhen is a different player than Icardi. In my opinion, he could have passed our defence more easily.
“It would have been difficult to play against such a forward. His not playing today was a deficiency for Galatasaray. Osimhen is a strong and dangerous player. It would have been difficult for us if he had played today.”
Osimhen registered an assist in Galatasaray’s 3-1 victory over PAOK in their first game in the competition on September 25, and the 25-year-old Nigeria International been impactful at the Turkish club since joining on loan from Napoli in September. He has scored two goals and provided three assists in four matches in all competition.
The reigning African player of the year will be out of action for up to six weeks with a thigh problem and will miss Nigeria’s back-to-back clashes against Libya in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers this month.
