Victor Osimhen's Stunning Hat-Trick Leads Galatasaray to Fourth Consecutive Champions League Victory Over Ajax

Victor Osimhen delivered a hat-trick to secure Galatasaray’s fourth straight Champions League win against Ajax, deepening the Dutch club’s struggles in the tournament.

By Chris Posiano

November 6, 2025 at 5:52 AM

8,138 views

Media Caption: Osimhen’s hat-trick propels Galatasaray to a fourth consecutive Champions League win over Ajax.

By Emily Salley, BBC Sport journalist

Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen stole the spotlight with a remarkable hat-trick as Galatasaray secured their fourth straight Champions League victory over Ajax, marking the Dutch side’s fourth consecutive loss in the competition this season. The forward, who has now netted six goals in European competitions this term, opened the scoring in the 59th minute before converting two penalties to cement his place in the match’s history.

Osimhen’s exploits saw him surpass former Inter Milan and Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins as Nigeria’s all-time leading scorer in European competitions, with a total of 25 goals. At 26, he currently tops the Champions League league phase scoring charts, edging out stars like Harry Kane, Erling Haaland, and Kylian Mbappé by a single goal.

Ajax entered the halftime break with the game tied, thanks to goalkeeper Remko Pasveer’s two exceptional saves that thwarted Osimhen’s early efforts. However, the Nigerian forward’s dominance resumed after the break, as he outpaced defender Josip Sutalo to head in a cross from Leroy Sane. The match turned further in Galatasaray’s favor when officials awarded two penalties to the Turkish side, both stemming from handball incidents.

The first penalty, reviewed by VAR, came after the ball struck the leg of Youri Baas and deflected onto the arm of an Ajax player. Osimhen calmly converted the spot-kick, followed by a clinical second goal from the penalty spot after Anton Gaaei’s handball. The outcome left Ajax at the bottom of the group, having conceded 14 goals in four Champions League matches this season.

Galatasaray, meanwhile, climbed to ninth place in the standings, inching closer to securing a spot in the top eight, which guarantees automatic progression to the knockout stages. Fans can catch highlights of the match on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app from 22:00 GMT on Wednesday, alongside a dedicated Champions League Match of the Day broadcast on BBC One from 22:40 to 00:00.