Osimhen Rescues Galatasaray from Opening-Day Shock
Galatasaray’s title defence began with a jolt rather than a statement.
On a night that should have showcased the authority of the Turkish Super League champions, Okan Buruk’s side were forced to scramble for a 2-2 draw at home against newly promoted Corum FK, relying on Victor Osimhen to drag them off the canvas.
The Nigerian striker scored twice, including a late equaliser, but the scoreline told its own story. Galatasaray, usually ruthless in front of their own fans, looked short of rhythm, short of sharpness – and, in Buruk’s own words, short of readiness.
Osimhen strikes first, but Corum bite back
The second half had barely settled when Osimhen announced himself to the new season.
In the 53rd minute, he broke the deadlock and claimed the first goal of the 2026/27 Turkish Super League campaign, finally giving Galatasaray the breakthrough they had been chasing. It felt, for a moment, like the afternoon would drift into something routine for the champions.
Corum FK had other ideas.
Making their debut in the top flight, they refused to be intimidated by the stage or the badge in front of them. The visitors grew bolder, their counter-attacks sharper, and the warning signs started to flash.
Then came the sting.
Alexandros Kyziridis struck, Jesus Ramirez followed in quick succession, and suddenly the champions were behind in their own stadium. Two goals, rapid and ruthless, turned the match on its head and left Galatasaray staring at one of the early shocks of the season.
As highlighted by TV100, Corum FK looked capable of walking out of the champions’ home with all three points. They were organised, brave and, for a spell, in complete control of the narrative.
Late rescue job from Osimhen
The pressure finally told.
With the game slipping away and the atmosphere tightening, Osimhen stepped up again in the closing stages. His second goal dragged Galatasaray level and salvaged a point that, in the context of the performance, felt more like relief than reward.
It denied Corum FK a dream debut victory, but it also underlined something else: Osimhen’s importance to Galatasaray’s season. On a day when the collective faltered, his individual quality kept the champions from starting their title defence with a damaging defeat.
He had already taken one small slice of history earlier in the evening. Legit.ng had reported that his 53rd-minute opener was the first goal of the new league campaign, snatching that honour away from teammate Yunus Akgun, whose earlier strike was correctly ruled out for offside.
Buruk: “We’re not used to this”
After the final whistle, Okan Buruk did not hide behind excuses.
Speaking to GS TV at his post-match press conference, he cut a realistic, if frustrated, figure as he assessed the performance and the result.
“We're not 100% ready. No team is 100% ready, and neither are we,” he said. “I said beforehand about this tough match; the matches after the World Cup being played on different dates... The players are in a preparation period... But of course, we needed to get through this period by winning.”
The coach’s disappointment ran through every line.
“We're disappointed, of course we are. We're not used to this kind of thing. We're used to winning, especially at home. We've always played that dominant game. Maybe there have been matches where we played worse and still won. We will do better, we will do it in time.”
The message was clear: this was below Galatasaray’s standards, even with the context of early-season rust and disrupted preparation.
Corum encouraged, Galatasaray on the road next
Corum FK left Istanbul without the famous win they briefly held in their grasp, but with something almost as valuable for a newly promoted side: proof they can go toe-to-toe with the champions.
They fought back from a goal down, led in one of the toughest arenas in the country, and forced Galatasaray into desperation mode. For a debut in the Super League, it was a powerful statement.
Galatasaray, meanwhile, move straight into another potential trap.
Their next assignment is away to Erzurumspor, another club fresh to the division this season. It will be their first road test of the campaign and an immediate chance to show that this opening-day stumble was a warning, not a pattern.
Osimhen has already started firing. The question now is whether the rest of the champions can catch up to his level before the season’s tone is set without them.
