Galatasaray forward, Dries Mertens, has praised teammate Victor Osimhen in the wake of Galatasaray's 3-1 victory over rivals Fenerbahçe on Saturday.
Although the Nigeria international did not find the back of the net, he made a significant contribution by providing the assist for Mertens to score Galatasaray's second goal of the night. Osimhen expertly controlled the ball with his chest inside the box, setting up Dries Mertens for a simple finish past Livakovic.
The Belgian international expressed his admiration for the 25-year-old, stressing the significant impact of his arrival at the club and his potential to further elevate the team's performance. With their victory over Istanbul rivals, Galatasaray extended their flawless record to six wins from six, matching their best-ever start to a Turkish Super Lig season—originally achieved in the 2009-2010 campaign under the legendary Dutch manager Frank Rijkaard.
Osimhen ended a tense summer in which he was as close to joining his dream club, Chelsea, as he was to bagging a lucrative transfer to the Saudi Pro League with a loan move to Galatasaray.
After Galatasaray's victory in the intercontinental derby, Mertens, speaking to the club's official website, took a moment to praise his teammate, Osimhen, for his contribution to the win.
Speaking highly of the towering forward, Mertens said, “Frankly, I am very happy that he came here. He is an incredible player, I know he can do even better, we will see that in the future. However, it is a great advantage for him to join us. He did not have a good preparation period, but he is a very important player for us and I think he will go to better places.”
Osimhen and Mertens share a strong on-field chemistry, having played together at Napoli for two years before the Belgian's move to Galatasaray in August 2022.
In their 36 appearances together, the Nigerian and Belgian duo have combined for three goal contributions—Mertens assisting one of Osimhen’s goals, while Osimhen set up two goals for the tricky forward.
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