Galatasaray’s formidable striker, Victor Osimhen, had declared his unwavering readiness for the high-octane Istanbul derby against Fenerbahçe. Fully recovered from a hamstring injury sustained during Nigeria duty, the 26-year-old returned to full training on Friday. Osimhen, who missed Galatasaray’s previous clashes against Istanbul Başakşehir and Union Saint-Gilloise, emphasized his commitment, stating: “I know the importance of the Fenerbahçe derby… If necessary, I will take risks and give my all.”

In the fiercely contested Super Lig derby, Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe ultimately shared the spoils in a 1–1 draw, marking Osimhen’s first match back from injury. The intensity was evident from kick-off, with both sides locked in a tactical battle and neither willing to cede ground easily.

Galatasaray drew first blood in the 27th minute when Leroy Sané exploited space on the left, courtesy of a sharp pass from Barış Alper Yılmaz. Sané fired a low strike into the bottom-left corner past goalkeeper Ederson. The momentum was with Galatasaray, as Sané had threatened earlier, but Fenerbahçe regrouped after the break, increasing their pressure in search of an equalizer.

Osimhen, however, found himself heavily contained, with Milan Škriniar and the Fenerbahçe defense doing an exceptional job of neutralizing his threat. Limited to a single shot on target and caught offside twice, the Nigerian forward struggled to influence the match. Galatasaray, protecting their lead, withdrew deeper into a defensive shape as the second half progressed.

The breakthrough for Fenerbahçe finally came deep into stoppage time when Jhon Durán pounced on a chaotic sequence inside the box to smash home the 1–1 equalizer in the 96th minute. The drama punctuated an already tense derby, leaving both sides with mixed emotions at the final whistle.

Despite a late surge from Fenerbahçe for a winning goal, Galatasaray held firm to clinch a valuable point, enough to keep them atop the league table by a narrow one-point margin. Osimhen’s return, though muted in impact, demonstrated his match fitness and determination as he completed the full 90 minutes in one of the season’s biggest fixtures.