Nigeria international Victor Osimhen was named Player of the Match after scoring in Galatasaray’s 4-2 victory away to his former club Lille in the Champions League on Wednesday.

The result gave Galatasaray their first points of the competition after defeats by Sporting Lisbon and Barcelona in their opening two matches. Lille also arrived at Stade Pierre-Mauroy without a win, having lost to Real Betis and Arsenal.

Osimhen put the result beyond doubt in the 61st minute, making the score 4-2 with a powerful right-footed finish at the end of a counter-attack. The goal was his first in this season’s Champions League.

He did not celebrate, showing respect to Lille, where he scored 18 goals during the 2019/20 season and was named Player of the Season before joining Napoli.

UEFA’s Technical Observer Group recognised Osimhen’s movement and the sustained threat he posed to the Lille defence in selecting him for the individual award.

The forward has now scored seven goals and provided three assists in eight appearances across all competitions this season.

After the match, Osimhen praised both the atmosphere and the efforts of his team-mates.

“I love this stadium. The fans are incredible. We had a tough match. I’m very happy for our team; we won,” he said.

“I also wish Lille good luck in their next matches. Lille players are very tough. They even took the lead. We managed to win the match together as a team.”

Osimhen also responded to criticism of his performances, saying: “Nobody can teach me how to play with the ball or how to score goals. I’m one of the best strikers in the world.”

Galatasaray moved up to 23rd in the 36-team table following the victory. Their next Champions League fixture is at home against VfB Stuttgart on November 3.

Lille, meanwhile, remain without a point after three games.