Former Nigerian international Sam Sodje has disclosed that a fully fit Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen won’t save Galatasaray from losing 4-0 against Liverpool in Wednesday’s Champions League second leg round of 16 at Anfield.
Osimhen suffered a fractured right forearm during the first half of Galatasaray’s Champions League match against Liverpool, yet continued to play for the remainder of the half before being substituted.
Speaking with Footy-Africa, Sodje stated that the tensed atmosphere at Anfield was enough to crack any team regardless of whether Osimhen was on the pitch for Galatasaray.
”I think playing at Liverpool was always going to be tough. I’ve been there before; I always knew Anfield would be a tough ground for Galatasaray, even though they lost 1-0 at Turkey. It was always going to be tough. We might say if Osimhen was fit, but I don’t think so. I don’t think so. I think that’s why Liverpool has been very successful in Europe, because playing at Anfield is always tough for foreign clubs.
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”Yeah, maybe he [the manager] thought Osimhen was going to run it off. He thought he was going to get better because sometimes you don’t want to make decisions too quickly. But I think he was waiting for Osimhen to let him know what he wanted to do. You know, sometimes there are players that you have to allow them to tell you what to do.
”But hey, I don’t think Osimhen’s injury would have changed anything. I think if he were fit, it would have been good for Galatasaray, but I think the way Liverpool played and the atmosphere and what was at stake was bigger. So yeah, let’s not too much dwell on Osimhen’s injury for their defeat. I think Liverpool deserved to win. Maybe not 4-0, but they deserved to win because the pressure was so much.
”No, no. It’s football, man. I’ve told you before, I’ve luckily played at Anfield. I think playing at Anfield is a test on its own. Yes, they probably picked Osimhen as the marksman, but I don’t think they would definitely go there and get him injured. I think it’s unfortunate that it happened that way, but I still think if Osimhen was 100% fit, I don’t think Galatasaray would have won the game.”
6 Comments
Hahahahaha…Thank God there is a sensible person like sodje …hahahaha…
Aside the tensed atmosphere at anfield…..
great players to them, both halves is too much of a time to announce their greatness to the world….
What did osimhen do with the massive 6 minutes before the clash with konate where he got injured?
Absolutely nothing!
I remember when Vinícius Júnior in the champions league Scored 14 seconds after coming on for Real Madrid against Shakhtar Donetsk
Also Declan Rice scored in the second minute for Arsenal in their 3-0 Champions League win against Dinamo.
Conor Gallagher scored in 28 seconds for Atlético de Madrid vs. Real Madrid…..
What about Anthony Gordon: Scored in the 3rd minute for Newcastle against Qarabag in February 2026.
Timo Werner: Scored for Chelsea against Zenit in just 1 minute and 23 seconds. I can go on and on……
And we’ave had great players while being injured on the pitch still maintain their resilience and scored before being substituted…
What did osimhen do with the whole 45 minutes(first half) before being substituted…..
Absolutelyyyyyy nothing!!!!!!
Not even a shot on target…. lol…
Or was it his leg that got injured??? Lmao…
Or has football turn to hand ball where you need your hands 100 percent fit??? Hahahaha
Even as at that like I stated above we had players with worst unjury than that of osimhen but were still resilient and still scored before going off….They played through pain and injury…. with their little club earnings….
the passion of the game and club kept them going unlike osimhen who is earning 400k weekly but happiness is still far from him….
Players like Alessio Zerbin (Napoli, 2025): After suffering an injury to his head upon hitting the crossbar, Zerbin returned to the pitch and scored two goals within two minutes before being subbed.
Even great players like fabregass too in a Champions League quarter-final against Barcelona, was fouled late in the match, resulting in an injury but played through and scored a penalty before being substituted…..
So what are we talking about???
If you are great you are great abeg….
Dude is just lazy and big for nothing….
You are trying so hard yet failing so easily……LMAOoo. Saying so much yet saying nothing…..LMAOoo
Of course, it is always either a Godwin Okpara, or Mobi or Sodje whose words carry weight…….LMAOooo….. Failures side with failures…..and quite incidentally, they are the ones who say the darndest things the most…..LMAOoo
But the question is, “Would we rather believe Sodje over Arne Slot…?”
“Would we rather believe Okparaku over Henry, Del Piero, Linekar, etc”
And finally, “would we rather believe you over Troy Deeney”……LMAOooo That’s why I say you are trying so hard yet failing so easily……LMAOoo. We dont expect so much from someone with no common sense anyways.
Fact check, Galatasaray’s heaviest defeat in all of 70 matches Osimhen has played for that club in all competitions (including European competitions) has been a mere 2-0 loss, and just once….yes, the heaviest ever.
Inference: Galatasaray will hardly lose by 2 goals, and ever loses by more than 2 goals as long as Osimhen plays….#FACT
This is not wishful thinking…..this is #FACT…!!!
On the other hand, the boy has 13 goals, 5 assists in 17 European games….that’s a 1.06 goal contribution per match average.
Simply put, in Europe, Galatasaray doesn’t lose by more than 2 goals when Osimhne plays, and he contributes 1 goal per game
This analysis isn’t for you; it’s for intelligent people who have common sense and understand statistics and game optics.
So Slot knows what he was saying when he acknowledged that the game turned around for him the moment Osimhen was forced off……..LMAOoo
Now go back and tell your Sodje that Osimhen’s injury indeed changed a lot, and even the coach of almighty Liverpool acknowledged it.
Whether Liverpool would still have qualified…absolutely NO ONE can categorically say, but RAW FACTS at hand confirm that Liverpool was never sure of being safe either. Galatasaray proved in this season’s UCL that with Osimhen playing, they are no slouch
So whose report shall we believe once again, Sodje (who has been in beer parlours since retirement) over Slot (who has all the most modern and state-of-the-art analytic tools at his disposal)…..??? LMAOooo.
When we are not all insane…….LMAOooo.
Yes, Osimhen is lazy and big for nothing……I don’t know why another man’s laziness and big for nothing-ness pains you so much……LMAOoo. I guess you must have seen his most recent videos online, of him in Lagos, living the kind of life you wish you had but will never have….and hell, he didn’t look like someone whom happiness is far from…..LMAOoo. So we understand where your pain is coming from. Rather, your constant rants about him show how far away peace and happiness are from you…..LMAOoo. We can feel how hot your stomach boils in disgrace since all the lies you tell about him keep getting flushed into the sewers….LMAOoo
He is lazy and big for nothing, yet bowed out of the UCL this season with 7 goals, 3 assists, and 5 MOTM awards in 10 matches, while playing for who….Galatasaray…….LMAooo….. and 26 goals, 7 assists in 42 matches in Europe altogether…..and still counting.
The height of laziness…!!!
Yet these same ex players and so called friends of Osimhen deceived him to go to a Weak Turkish League for money instead of England, At the End of Osimhen’s Career when nobody will remember him except Nigerians because he did not test and prove his football dominance in a Top Flight league, He will realise he was deceived because those around him and Football ex Players from Nigeria were jealous of what he could become in World football had he moved to a say Chelsea or Bigger Club in England or Spain!!!
Fact Remains, It is a World Cup Year, and With Nigeria not qualifying for the World Cup, will make Osimhen’s Move to a Bigger club even More Difficult now Gala Is Out because this was the opportunity for him to Prove his Point. come next transfer window, go and Mark it some where Teams will be more focused on stand out players from the World Cup this will be where the Transfer Attention will be not Osimhen!!
This comment by sodje is total hogwash. We all saw that in the first half when a half fit Osihmen was on the pitch Liverpool midfielders and defenders were afraid of joining the attack for fear of Osihmen. Hence there was less pressurevon Gala. Liverpool play was disjointed throughout Osihmen’s presence on the pitch . Even liverpool Coach commented after the match that they benefited from Osihmen’s absence . That he was not sure what will hit him next as long as Osihmen was on the pitch. Same thing happen with DR congo and RWanda during the worldcup qualifiers. Osihmen carries a fear Factor which all players and Coaches admit except foolish fans who dont have come sense
Hahahaha Sodje comment is total hogwash because it didnt sit well you as an osimhen fan rather than coming with an open mind and being a football fan….hahahaha
Na semtiment go finish us for this country…lol…
The liverpool defenders and midfielders didnt join the attack ko….hahaha…
No the coach and his crew should have join the attack too…but because osimhen is on the pitch they were scared….hahaha…
No You will force them to spoil their game plan and tactics na..hahahaha
“Except foolish fan who doesnt have common sense you say?”