A fierce debate is raging in Turkey at the moment regarding Victor Osimhen‘s cancelled goal in Galatasaray’s 1-0 defeat at Kocaelispor on Sunday, Soccernet.ng reports.
Victor Osimhen found the back of the net with an 83rd-minute strike for Galatasaray against Kocaelispor in their Turkish Super Lig matchday 12 clash inside the Yildiz Entegre Kocaeli Stadyumu.
That goal was meant to rescue a late point for the champions who had fallen behind to a stunning strike by Dan Agyei on the stroke of halftime.
Osimhen thought he had levelled the game after calmly slotting past goalkeeper Nikola Jovanovic, only for VAR to intervene. Following a lengthy review, referee Cagdas Altay ruled the goal out, citing offside against Gabriel Sara, who was deemed to have interfered with play by standing close to the Kocaelispor goalkeeper when the shot was taken.
The disallowed goal proved decisive, as Dan Agyei’s earlier strike for Kocaelispor sealed a shock 1-0 victory, sending Galatasaray home empty-handed. The incident quickly became the major talking point of the weekend, with analysts, fans, and former referees divided over whether the decision was justified.
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Former referees split over the VAR decision
The broadcaster BeIN Sports (via Fotomac) covering the game sought the opinions of several former Turkish referees to clarify the controversial decision. Their verdicts were mixed but leaned in favour of VAR.
Veteran referee Deniz Çoban argued that the officials may have been incorrect to cancel the goal, saying:
“It’s wrong to argue about the goalkeeper. The ball went between his legs and scored. So I don’t see any problem.”
However, Bahattin Duran supported the decision strictly on technical grounds, explaining:
“Sara is offside here. The line was drawn correctly. Sara is offside. The referral method is correct. Clear offside. The goal was disallowed.”
Meanwhile, Bülent Yıldırım offered a more detailed analysis of the phase of play:
“There are certain conditions for a player to be offside. Just because they’re offside in appearance doesn’t change that. When I looked at the image, I saw that Sara was offside.
“VAR got it right from start to finish. The position was offside. If we had removed Sara from that position, the goalkeeper and player number 14’s reactions to the ball would have been different. He had an impact because he was in contact with them. This position was offside from start to finish.”
Victor Osimhen moves on: “Now I focus on my national team”
Despite the controversy, Osimhen appeared calm after the match.
Speaking to reporters, the 26-year-old striker insisted he had already shifted his attention to Nigeria’s World Cup qualifying clash with Gabon.
“I have to travel. The game has happened, it has happened,” Osimhen said. “I have moved on from that. Now I focus on my national team.”
The defeat is a frustrating end to Galatasaray’s week after their impressive 3-0 victory against Ajax Amsterdam in the Champions League.
It is also Galatasaray’s first league loss of the season but the Turkish giants remain top of the Super Lig table with 29 points, one more than Fenerbahçe in second.