Gift Orban and another Nigerian forward nearly punish Galatasary for Osimhen absence

Galatasaray survived a thrilling second-half fightback to secure a 4-3 victory over Amed SK in a chaotic top-of-the-table Süper Lig clash at RAMS Park on Saturday evening, successfully overcoming the glaring absence of their talisman, Victor Osimhen.

Galatasaray, sitting in first place, were dealt a massive blow earlier in the week when it was confirmed that Osimhen required arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, ruling him out of the match and Nigeria's upcoming international window. 

However, the defending champions flexed their attacking depth to build a commanding lead before Amedspor's own Nigerian stars, Gift Orban and Yira Sor, ignited a fierce comeback that pushed the hosts to the brink.

Despite missing Osimhen's presence, Galatasaray's frontline proved lethal in the early stages, with Rafael Leão opening the scoring in just the 7th minute to set the tone for the hosts. 

Amedspor struggled to contain the pressure, and their situation worsened just before halftime when goalkeeper Alban Lafont inadvertently scored an own goal, sending Galatasaray into the break with a 2-0 cushion.

The match exploded into a breathless shootout in the second half. Aleksey Batrakov extended Galatasaray's lead to 3-0 in the 59th minute, seemingly putting the game to bed. 

However, Amedspor manager Ersun Yanal had introduced Nigerian forward Yira Sor at halftime, and the substitution completely changed the dynamic. 

In the 62nd minute, Sor provided the assist for Dia Saba to pull a goal back. Just three minutes later, Amedspor's in-form Nigerian striker—controversially left off Eric Chelle’s squad for November—Gift Orban struck, finishing an assist from Furkan Soyalp to suddenly make it 3-2 and silence the home crowd.

Galatasaray stabilised in the 80th minute when Barış Alper Yılmaz found the back of the net to restore a two-goal advantage. Yet, the visitors refused to surrender. Deep into stoppage time, Yira Sor capped off his brilliant substitute appearance by scoring a goal of his own. 

Unfortunately for Amedspor, time simply ran out, and Galatasaray managed to hold on for the 4-3 victory.