Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal has confessed that Victor Osimhen’s chalked-off effort was a major turning point that spared the Catalan giants from a daunting Champions League task against Galatasaray.
The Nigerian talisman thought he had doubled the hosts’ advantage with a commanding header from a set piece at an electric RAMS Park in Istanbul. However, following a VAR review, the referee ruled out the strike, denying the Turkish champions what could have been a decisive two-goal cushion.
Although Barcelona eventually rallied to claim a resounding 4-1 victory, Yamal pointed out that the intervention completely altered the trajectory of the encounter.
Galatasaray had seized the initiative early when playmaker Aleksey Batrakov breached the visitors’ backline, leaving the La Liga leaders unsettled under intense pressure from the stands. Osimhen’s disallowed header arrived shortly after, threatening to put the contest out of reach before technology intervened.
Reflecting on the match, the Spanish teenager admitted to Le Marca Sports that overturning that deficit would have been nearly impossible: “If Galatasaray’s second goal hadn’t been disallowed, our job in Istanbul would have been very tough!”
The young winger also praised the fiery environment at RAMS Park, remarking: “We knew we were walking into a fierce stadium. It is undoubtedly one of the most hostile away trips you can face. Galatasaray is a squad packed with quality.”
The comeback win places Barcelona at the summit of the revised Champions League standings with a perfect six points from their first two outings. In stark contrast, Galatasaray remains without a single point after back-to-back losses to Sporting CP and Barca, tumbling toward the foot of the table.