Turkish Süper Lig champions Galatasaray have congratulated Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen for his outstanding performance in Nigeria’s 4–0 victory over Benin Republic, which secured the Super Eagles a place in the World Cup qualifiers’ playoffs.
Osimhen delivered a dazzling display in the Nigerian city of Uyo, scoring a superb hat-trick to dismantle Group C leaders Benin.
He opened the scoring just three minutes into the match after capitalising on a loose pass, doubled Nigeria’s lead before halftime with a towering header from Samuel Chukwueze’s cross, and completed his treble early in the second half by nodding in Moses Simon’s free kick. Substitute Frank Onyeka added a late fourth to seal the emphatic victory.
Despite earlier concerns among Galatasaray fans about Osimhen’s fitness during international duty, celebrations erupted following his match-winning display.
Hat-trick
“We celebrate Victor Osimhen, who scored a hat-trick with 3 goals against Benin in the CAF Qualifiers for Group C of the 2026 World Cup and made a significant contribution to his country, Nigeria, qualifying for the play-off. Congratulations, Victor Osimhen,”
Benin never recovered from that early blow, and the result saw them drop from first to third in Group C, while South Africa claimed the automatic qualification spot.
DR Congo, Nigeria, and Gabon join Cameroon in booking their tickets for next month’s African Play-Off Tournament, where four teams will fight for one last continental berth at the global finals.
