Victor Osimhen’s club, Galatasaray, has confirmed that the Nigerian striker sustained a muscle injury during the 2026 FIFA World Cup playoff game against DR Congo on Sunday night.
The hard-fighting attacker was substituted at the beginning of the second half after appearing to clutch his hamstring late in the first half. Even though it was stated that he got injured, critics of the Super Eagles’ disappointing performance had rumoured that there was a dressing room fall out at half time which forced Coach Eric Chelle to make the change.
Nigeria lost the all-important final match 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regular time, missing out on back-to-back World Cup tournaments after the Eagles made a 1994 debut.
Osimhen returned to Turkey after the game and underwent an MRI scan at the Acıbadem Hospital to assess the damage, reports confirm.
In an official statement released on Wednesday morning, Galatasaray stated that the test results showed a moderate strain with bleeding in the left posterior muscle.
The club also added that treatment had commenced immediately but did not provide a timeline for his recovery.
Osimhen has been confirmed to miss the Wednesday night CAF Awards ceremony in Morocco. He is shortlisted for the prestigious African Player of the Year award alongside Mohamed Salah (Egypt and Liverpool) and Achraf Hakimi (Morocco and PSG).
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