AFCON 2025
Victor osimhen’s hat-trick has led to the sack of former Dutch international John Heitinga as the head of Ajax Amsterdam.
Osimhen bagged a second-half hat-trick as Galatasaray thrashed Ajax 3-1 on matchday four of the league phase of the competition.
The club, in a statement on its official website on Thursday, says it is looking for a new manager after deciding to terminate the contract of Heitinga and his assistant.
“It’s a painful decision. But looking back at the past few months, we must conclude that things have turned out quite differently from what we had envisioned. We’ve seen too little progress and have unnecessarily dropped points. We know it can take time for a new coach to work with a squad that has undergone changes. We have given John that time, but we believe it’s best for the club to appoint someone else to lead the team. We hope to present a new head coach together as soon as possible. We thank John and Marcel for their efforts and wish Fred the best of luck, starting with Sunday’s away match in Utrecht,” says Ajax technical director Alex Kroes.
Prior to the match, John Heitinga expressed his admiration for Osimhen as he labeled him as one of the best strikers in the world currently, but his side will do everything to stop him.
Unfortunately, Osimhen unleashed mayhem on Ajax’s defense as he scored twice from the penalty spot and a brilliant header to become the first Galatasaray player in history to score a brace in back-to-back Champions League games.
Osimhem also became the second Nigerian player to score a hat-trick in the Champions League after Yakubu Aiyegbeni in 2002 for Maccabi Haifa.
