Turkish Süper Lig champions Galatasaray have congratulated Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen for his outstanding performance in Nigeria’s 4–0 victory over Benin Republic, which secured the Super Eagles a place in the World Cup qualifiers’ playoffs.
Osimhen delivered a dazzling display in the Nigerian city of Uyo, scoring a superb hat-trick to dismantle Group C leaders Benin.
He opened the scoring just three minutes into the match after capitalising on a loose pass, doubled Nigeria’s lead before halftime with a towering header from Samuel Chukwueze’s cross, and completed his treble early in the second half by nodding in Moses Simon’s free kick. Substitute Frank Onyeka added a late fourth to seal the emphatic victory.
Despite earlier concerns among Galatasaray fans about Osimhen’s fitness during international duty, celebrations erupted following his match-winning display.
“We celebrate Victor Osimhen, who scored a hat-trick with 3 goals against Benin in the CAF Qualifiers for Group C of the 2026 World Cup and made a significant contribution to his country, Nigeria, qualifying for the play-off. Congratulations, Victor Osimhen,”
Benin never recovered from that early blow, and the result saw them drop from first to third in Group C, while South Africa claimed the automatic qualification spot.D
R Congo, Nigeria, and Gabon join Cameroon in booking their tickets for next month’s African Play-Off Tournament, where four teams will fight for one last continental berth at the global finals.