Soccer
Paul Onuachu Trabzonspor striker. (Photo credit: Club X)
Super Eagles striker Paul Onuachu scored his first ever goal against Galatasaray as Trabzonspor hosted the league leaders at Papara Park on Saturday evening, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Nigerian international rose highest to head home a pinpoint cross from Wagner Pina, who had beaten Ismail Jakobs with a brilliant run down the right flank before delivering the ball into the box, according to Turkish outlet Fanatik.
It was a landmark moment for the 31-year-old, who had previously been unable to find the net against the Istanbul giants in any of their previous meetings.
The goal takes Onuachu’s tally to 22 in the Süper Lig this season, extending his lead at the top of the scoring charts ahead of Eldor Shomurodov of Istanbul Basaksehir on 16.
He has now scored against all three of Turkey’s traditional big clubs, having previously netted twice in three matches against Fenerbahce and once against Besiktas.
Galatasaray were without their Nigerian striker, Victor Osimhen, who was ruled out after fracturing his forearm during the Champions League defeat to Liverpool at Anfield. Leroy Sane was also absent through suspension, and Gabriel Sara missed out with an ankle injury sustained on international duty with Brazil.
Before Saturday, Galatasaray were one of only three teams to have kept Onuachu quiet in more than one meeting, alongside Adana Demirspor and Eyupspor. He had been targeting the fixture as a chance to end that drought after the international break.
Soccer How many goals has Paul Onuachu scored for Trabzonspor?
Onuachu’s header against Galatasaray takes his overall tally at Trabzonspor to 41 goals across all competitions, spanning his initial loan spell from Southampton in 2023-24 and his permanent move last summer.
In the current campaign alone, he has registered 24 goals and two assists in 26 appearances across league and cup action.
The former Genk man is also closing in on a significant club milestone. The record for the most league goals scored by a foreign player in a single Süper Lig season for Trabzonspor belongs to Georgian legend Shota Arveladze, who netted 25 in the 1995-96 campaign. Alexander Sorloth scored 24 in 2019-20.
With seven league matches still to play, Onuachu is firmly on course to surpass both marks and etch his name into Trabzonspor folklore.
His prolific season has also placed him second behind only Harry Kane among the top scorers across Europe’s ten major leagues in 2026.
Ayomide Oguntimehin
Ayomide Oguntimehin is a CAF-accredited sports journalist and Chief Editor at Soccernet.ng. He has interviewed Super Eagles stars like William Troost-Ekong, Taiwo Awoniyi, Bright Osayi-Samuel, and Ademola Lookman, and is known for breaking major transfer stories.
Ayomide has worked with Sports Brief, Naija News and served as Social Lead Editor at Legit.ng. He has also featured on Goal, TVC News, Sports Mole, and Milan News24. He holds a Master’s degree and is currently pursuing a PhD. Follow Ayomide on X (formerly Twitter): @ayo_oguntimehin
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