Galatasaray Beat Kocaelispor, Win First Match Since Victor Osimhen’s Injury

• Galatasaray recorded their first Turkish Super League win since Victor Osimhen suffered an injury last week
• Captain Abdekerim Badarkci scored the only goal after VAR disallowed a strike from new signing Deniz Gul
• The victory kept Galatasaray at the top of the Turkish Super League table as they chase a fifth straight title

Galatasaray ended a difficult stretch by beating Kocaelispor 1-0 in the Turkish Super League at Rams Park on Saturday, claiming their first league win since Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen went down with an injury.

Osimhen sustained the injury during Galatasaray's 3-2 victory over Istanbul Basaksehir the previous week, leaving a huge void in the team's attack.

The 26-year-old's absence has left the defending champions noticeably short of attacking options, a gap that was exposed when they fell 3-1 to Sporting Lisbon in their opening UEFA Champions League group stage fixture.

Badarkci scores Galatasaray’s winner

Against Kocaelispor, it was club captain Abdekerim Badarkci who broke the deadlock in the second half to hand Galatasaray all three points.

The goal came after VAR had ruled out what appeared to be an opener from new signing Deniz Gul, leaving the home side to wait before their skipper stepped up to settle the contest, as noted by TRT Spor.

The narrow win was enough to keep Galatasaray at the summit of the Turkish Super League table as the club pushes for a fifth successive league title, a feat that would cement their status as the most dominant side in recent Turkish football history.

The focus now shifts to what promises to be a high-stakes league encounter against Trabzonspor, one of Galatasaray's traditional rivals in Turkish football.

Osimhen is not expected to be available for that fixture either, meaning the Lions will once again have to find a way to win without their top scorer leading the attack.

Galatasaray's coaching staff will be hoping the Nigerian international recovers quickly, given the volume of important matches ahead across both domestic and European competition.

Okan Buruk sends message to Osimhen

Legit.ng previously reported that Okan Buruk sent a message to Victor Osimhen after Galatasaray squeezed out a 1-0 victory over Kocaelispor at Rams Park.

The Turkish manager admitted that the team missed the injured striker and hope to have him back ahead of Trabzonspor clash.