Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen has praised Juventus for their strong performance, despite the Turkish side advancing to the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 following a dramatic playoff clash.
Juventus secured a 3-2 victory over Galatasaray in the second leg on Wednesday, but it was not enough to overturn their heavy 5-2 defeat in the first leg. The Italian giants were eliminated from the competition after losing 7-5 on aggregate, allowing Galatasaray to progress to the knockout stage.
Reacting after the match, Osimhen acknowledged Juventus’ quality and admitted his team’s performance in the second leg fell below expectations.
“I’m disappointed in the performance of the whole team, and I have to give kudos to Juventus. They deserved the win, but I am happy we qualified,” Osimhen told CBS Sports.
The Nigerian international emphasized that Galatasaray must improve significantly if they hope to compete against stronger opponents in the next round.
“We qualified, but we have a lot to improve in the knock-out stage if we want to go into the next round and play the big dogs,” he added.
Osimhen further admitted that Juventus were the better side on the night, despite Galatasaray’s overall aggregate victory.
“This performance today was not really good. I think Juventus deserved the win, but I am happy for my team to qualify for the next round.”
Galatasaray’s progression keeps their Champions League campaign alive, while Juventus’ elimination marks an early exit for the Serie A giants despite their second-leg victory.
