Galatasaray coach Okan Buruk has highlighted Victor Osimhen’s importance to his team following their hard-fought 1-0 victory over Kocaelispor in the Süper Lig.

Turkish defender Abdülkerim Bardakcı scored the decisive goal in the 71st minute as the Yellow and Reds secured the maximum three points at home on Sunday, September 13.

It was the second game for the Turkish champions without their talisman Victor Osimhen after the 27-year-old sustained an injury in the 3-2 win over İstanbul Başakşehir on September 4.

In his post-match reaction, Buruk disclosed that the team had missed Osimhen on the pitch, highlighting his immense contribution to the side whenever he is in action.

“Having Osimhen is a strength, not just because of the player himself, but also psychologically. Just having him on the field makes a difference. Playing with him is a different experience,” Buruk told the club’s official website.

“Deniz had two or three chances today that he could have easily scored from. Despite this being his first match, I was pleased with his performance.

“With Osimhen, the game is very different, especially when it comes to pressing from the front and having a striker like him in the penalty area. We are strong with Osimhen.

“We are also strong without him because we have quality players. But we miss Osimhen. We put our opponents under a lot of pressure today, but it is always important to have a clinical striker. I was pleased with Deniz’s performance as well.”

WDN