Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen has described his team’s 2-2 home draw against newly promoted Corum as a wake-up call, urging his teammates to improve ahead of their next Turkish Super Lig fixtures.
The reigning champions were held at Rams Park on Friday night in their opening league match of the season, despite being overwhelming favourites against a Corum side making its debut appearance in Turkey’s top flight.
Galatasaray appeared on course for victory after taking the lead, but the visitors responded impressively. Alexandros Kyziridis etched his name into the club’s history books by scoring Corum’s first-ever Super Lig goal to level the score before Jesus Ramírez capitalised on a defensive error by Davinson Sanchez to put the newcomers 2-1 ahead.
Corum’s task became more difficult when Kyziridis was sent off for a challenge on Kerem Aktürkoğlu, reducing the visitors to 10 men and giving Galatasaray a numerical advantage for the closing stages.
With the champions pushing for an equaliser, Osimhen once again proved decisive. The Super Eagles forward headed home late in the game to complete his brace and rescue a point for the hosts.
Galatasaray continued to press for a winning goal, but Corum nearly pulled off a famous victory before goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır produced a crucial save to deny the visitors in the closing moments.
Despite his two goals, Osimhen expressed disappointment with Galatasaray’s overall display, insisting that the result should serve as an important lesson for the defending champions.
The 27-year-old noted that there are no easy matches in the Turkish Super Lig and emphasised the need for the team to learn from its mistakes if it hopes to secure a fifth consecutive league title.
Osimhen urged his teammates to raise their performance levels in upcoming games, warning that complacency could prove costly in a highly competitive season.
The draw leaves Galatasaray with work to do as they seek to begin their title defence on a stronger footing, while Corum will take confidence from an impressive display that earned the club its first-ever point in the Turkish Super Lig.
