Victor Osimhen came off the bench and helped turn a tense night in Galatasaray’s favor as the defending champions scored twice late on to beat previously unbeaten Kasimpasa 3-1 despite playing the final stages with 10 men.
The Nigerian forward did not get on the scoresheet, but his introduction lifted Galatasaray’s attack after Lucas Torreira was sent off and Kasimpasa pulled level. Osimhen went close to scoring himself before setting up Mario Lemina for the goal that wrapped up the victory deep into stoppage time.
Galatasaray had taken the lead just before halftime through Abdulkerim Bardakci, who headed in Aleksey Batrakov’s delivery from a set piece.
Torreira red card opens door for Kasimpasa
Galatasaray had controlled much of the match, but Kasimpasa goalkeeper Andreas Gianniotis repeatedly kept the hosts out and prevented their pressure from turning into a more comfortable advantage.
The game shifted in the 65th minute when Torreira was sent off following a video assistant referee, or VAR, review. His initial yellow card was upgraded to a red, leaving Galatasaray with 10 players.
Kasimpasa took advantage almost immediately as Jesurun Rak-Sakyi fired in a loose ball three minutes later after Galatasaray’s defense blocked the initial effort.
The visitors had entered the match as the only unbeaten team in the league and had conceded just five goals across their opening six games, while their two victories had both come away from home.
Osimhen introduction pushes Galatasaray back onto front foot
Galatasaray stepped up again after Osimhen came on, with the Nigerian forward adding greater urgency to the attack despite the numerical disadvantage.
He nearly marked his introduction with a goal in the 80th minute, but Gianniotis once again kept Galatasaray out.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 90th minute when Baris Alper Yilmaz restored the lead with a left-footed finish from inside the penalty area.
Osimhen then played his part in putting the result beyond doubt, setting up Lemina to score six minutes into stoppage time and complete the 3-1 victory.
Batrakov also stood out during his time on the pitch, while Yunus drew attention with his movement and work rate.
The result took Galatasaray to 16 points from seven matches, while Kasimpasa remained on 10 points after suffering their first league defeat of the season.
