Victor Osimhen is facing an anxious wait over a possible operation after suffering a fractured arm during Galatasaray’s heavy Champions League defeat to Liverpool FC at Anfield.
Victor Osimhen was forced off at half-time after picking up the injury early on Wednesday night’s Round of 16 second-leg clash. Galatasaray went on to lose 4-0, crashing out 4-1 on aggregate against Arne Slot’s side.
A statement from the Turkish club confirmed the severity of the injury.
“Our player Victor Osimhen, who suffered a blow to his arm in the first half of our Champions League Round of 16 second leg match against Liverpool away from home, was not allowed to play in the second half due to the risk of a fracture after checks at halftime,” the club said.
“Following the match, a check-up at the hospital under the supervision of our medical team confirmed a fracture in his right forearm, and a cast was applied. A decision regarding surgery will be made in the coming days after further evaluations.”
Osimhen was hurt after a challenge from Ibrahima Konaté but played on until the interval before being withdrawn.
Head coach Okan Buruk admitted the club tried to keep the Nigerian on the pitch despite the injury.
“Osimhen is also in pain. It happened at the beginning of the game; we tried to keep him on the pitch, but his pain increased, so we had to substitute him at halftime,” Buruk said.
He also criticised the officiating, adding: “Looking at Osimhen’s position, we saw that Konaté was able to commit these fouls very easily, he could easily apply any kind of foul. While we were expecting the best referee in the world, perhaps one of the worst referees officiated the game.”
Reflecting on the defeat, Buruk conceded his side were second best.
He said, “Our opponent deserved to win the match much more than us. There were unfortunate events; our start to the game, Osimhen’s injury, our inability to make our presence felt during the game, and the confidence we gave to our opponent.”