Osimhen topples Mbappé, Haaland with hat trick

Victor Osimhen scored a hat trick in Galatasaray's 3-0 victory over Ajax in Amsterdam, propelling him to the top of the Champions League scoring table with six goals this season.

In the match, Osimhen completed his first hat trick in the competition in under 20 minutes, heading in the opening goal in the 59th minute from a cross by Leroy Sané, and adding two more with penalty kicks in the 66th and 78th minutes that left Ajax goalkeeper Remko Pasveer with no chance.

With this performance, Osimhen now has one more goal than other top scorers like Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé, and Erling Haaland in the Champions League.

Galatasaray signed Osimhen to a permanent deal from Napoli in the summer for a reported record transfer fee of €75 million ($86 million) in the Turkish League, highlighting the club's significant investment in the player.

Osimhen expressed the team's ambitions, stating that they aim to compete with elite clubs in the Champions League, emphasizing the need for high performance and confidence in their individual quality to challenge any opponent.

Earlier in the season, Osimhen scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over Liverpool from a penalty and added two goals in a 3-1 victory against Bodø/Glimt, contributing to Galatasaray's three consecutive wins and ninth-place standing with nine points midway through the league phase.

Before joining Galatasaray on loan in September 2024, Osimhen attracted interest from clubs like Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, and Al Ahli, and in his first season in Turkey, he helped the club win the league and the Cup by scoring 26 league goals and five in the Cup.