Osimhen shines as Galatasaray, Liverpool, Chelsea win in UCL

Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen bagged a brace as Galatasaray cruised to a 3-1 win over Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Osimhen netted twice in Istanbul, with Yunus Akgun adding the third for the Turkish side before Andreas Helmersen grabbed a consolation goal for the visitors.

Elsewhere, Hugo Ekitike scored against his former club as Liverpool thrashed Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 to return to winning ways.

Chelsea, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich also recorded victories on a thrilling night of European football.

Liverpool, who had lost four straight game — including a 1-0 defeat to Galatasaray in their previous Champions League outing — bounced back emphatically.

Rasmus Kristensen opened the scoring for Frankfurt, but Ekitike equalised before Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate struck from corners to put the Reds in control by halftime.

Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai added two more after the break as Liverpool climbed to 10th in the 36-team league phase.

At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea also thrashed Ajax 5-1 in a match packed with drama — featuring an early red card and three first-half penalties.

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Ajax’s Kenneth Taylor was dismissed early on, and Marc Guiu and Moises Caicedo made it 2-0 for Chelsea.

Wout Weghorst converted a penalty for Ajax, but Enzo Fernandez and Estevao both scored from the spot before halftime.

Tyrique George added a fifth in the second half, marking the first time in Champions League history that three teenagers scored for one team.

Bayern Munich maintained their perfect record with nine points after thrashing Club Brugge 4-0, as Harry Kane netted his 20th goal of the season.

Real Madrid also recorded a narrow 1-0 win over Juventus at the Santiago Bernabeu, courtesy of Jude Bellingham’s first goal of the season.

Tottenham Hotspur were the only English side not to win, playing out a goalless draw with Monaco.

In other matches, Sporting Lisbon came from behind to beat Marseille 2-1 after a red card changed the game before halftime.

Athletic Bilbao defeated Qarabag 3-1 at San Mames, while Atalanta and Slavia Prague shared a goalless draw.

The next round of fixtures in two weeks’ time will see heavyweight clashes between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Bayern Munich, and Liverpool and Real Madrid.

The Star