Onyekuru bags brace on Galatasaray return against Gaziantep

Henry Onyekuru scored twice to inspire Galatasaray to a 2-1 victory over Gaziantep in Friday’s Turkish Super Lig game.

The 23-year-old teamed up with the Yellow and Reds for his third spell on loan from French side Monaco and immediately hit the ground running.

The Nigeria international joined the Turk Telekom Stadium outfit for the first time in the summer of 2018 on a season-long loan from Everton.

The forward helped the Yellow and Reds win the Super Lig title in his debut season, scoring 14 goals in 31 league appearances.

The winger then returned to the club in January 2019 on a six-month loan from Monaco and after struggling for game time at Stade Louis II, he again signed for Galatasaray on Monday.

The forward was afforded his first appearance for Galatasaray and delivered fine performances in the encounter to help them extend their winning run to three games.

The game started with both sides aiming to open the scoring but missed a number of opportunities which saw the first half ended 0-0.

After the restart, manager Fatih Terim brought on his new arrival Onyekuru in the 46th minute, replacing Morocco international Younes Belhanda.

Five minutes after his introduction, the Super Eagles forward broke the deadlock with a well-taken effort after he was set up Ryan Babel.

Onyekuru completed his brace in the 79th minute, firing his strike beyond the reach of goalkeeper Gunay Guvenc.

Alexandru Maxim reduced the deficit for Gaziantep moments before the end of the game, converting his effort from the penalty spot.

The victory ensured Galatasaray climbed to the second spot on the Super Lig table after gathering 42 points from 21 games.

Onyekuru’s compatriot and on-loan Stoke City midfielder Oghenekaro Etebo featured for 16 minutes in the encounter after replacing Emre K?l?nc.

The winger will hope to continue his blistering performances when Galatasaray take on Istanbul Basaksehir in their next league game on February 2.

Onyekuru has 12 caps for the Nigeria national team and will hope to get a call-up for their 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in March.