Osimhen secures Lille’s French Cup Semi-final Spot

Victor Osimhen has taken his goal tally this season to 14 in all competitions as his stoppage time strike secure a 2-0 win for Lille OSC in the French Cup quarter-final against fifth division side ESM Gonfreville on Saturday.

The victory means Lille have a date with Olympique Lyon in the semi-final and Osimhen will fancy his chances of improving what has been an impressive goals ratio.

Galtier : « La demi-finale contre l’@OL a une énorme importance à mes yeux. J’aimerais emmener tout le monde au Stade de France : nos salariés, notre Président, et évidemment nos supporters. Nous avons une marche importante à monter. On va s’y préparer sérieusement ».

— LOSC (@losclive) January 18, 2020

The Nigerian has scored five goals in his last 10 matches across all competitions and is Christophe Galtier’s most lethal goal scorer this season.

On Saturday he came off the bench just after the hour mark with the scoreline still goalless.

Galtier’s substitutions at the moment certainly put some spring in his players’ stride on the pitch and on the 69th minute former Chelsea FC striker Loic Remy broke the deadlock.

Lille must have felt some relief after the goal, not with the shockers that lower division sides have produced in the competition – FC Pau eliminated Bordeaux.

It was a game the visitors controlled and with 90+2′ on the clock, Osimhen buried the hopes of any comeback aspirations from Gonfreville.

The Nigerian’s form has not gone on noticed this season and he has been linked with a possible move away from the Stade Pierre-Mauroy not later than the summer though.

But the young forward has kept a cool head despite links with Real Madrid and current European Champions Liverpool, frequently reported in major European dailies.

It will be interesting to see how the summer transfer window unfolds at the end of the season and especially for the former Wolfsburg player.

Osimhen failed to hit the ground running in his first season in Europe, coming off a successful campaign at the U17 World Cup.

He finished as top scorer and his goals most certainly won Nigeria a record extending fifth title in 2015.

It was that expectation the world had when his move to the Bundesliga was announced after his 18th birthday.

After the disappointing start, partly due to injury and his inability to get game time at the then troubled Wolfsburg, he moved to Belgium where he played on loan at RS Charleroi.

He would later complete a permanent move after a successful loan spell, where he scored 20 goals in all competitions.

Charleroi cashed in on the Nigerian, agreeing a €13 million offer from Lille in the summer of 2019.

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