Following his spectacular move from Liverpool to Trabzon, Mohamed Salah initially needed a little time to settle. He came on after 58 minutes in the 1-1 draw against Kasımpaşa on the opening weekend of the Süper Lig, before making his first start in the 1-0 home defeat to Ferencváros in the Europa League play-off. Against Başakşehir, he was handed his first league start – and immediately became the standout player on the pitch.
Salah opens his Trabzonspor account early
Trabzonspor made the brighter start at Papara Park. In the eighth minute, Aral Şimşir crossed from the left into the penalty area and Başakşehir goalkeeper Muhammed Şengezer failed to hold the ball. Salah reacted quickest and converted the rebound for his first goal in Trabzonspor’s claret-and-blue colours.
The lead lasted only around ten minutes. After a handball by former Wolfsberger AC centre-back Chibuike Nwaiwu, referee Ali Şansalan awarded a penalty, which Eldor Shomurodov converted to make it 1-1. Trabzonspor were not unsettled, however. Salah had another excellent opportunity before the break, but his technically demanding effort was superbly saved by Şengezer.
Vintage Salah strike decides the game
Just three minutes after the restart, the Egyptian struck again. Salah cut inside from the right, played a one-two with Ernest Muçi and then finished precisely with his left foot into the far corner. It was the kind of goal he produced countless times during his long spell at Liverpool.
Salah remained the most dangerous player on the pitch thereafter. He registered five shots in total, four of them on target – the highest figures of any player in both categories. He also created six shooting opportunities for his team-mates. His own chances amounted to just 0.46 expected goals, underlining the quality of his finishing on the night. Trabzonspor finished with 2.04 xG compared with Başakşehir’s 1.81, although the visitors’ penalty accounted for a substantial share of their total.
Salah even found the net twice more in stoppage time. His apparent hat-trick was first ruled out because of a foul in the build-up, before another goal was disallowed for offside moments later. The score remained 2-1, giving Trabzonspor their first league victory and first competitive win of the new season after the opening-day draw against Kasımpaşa.
Tekke praises Salah’s professionalism
Head coach Fatih Tekke highlighted more than just the sporting quality of his marquee signing after the match. According to Tekke, Salah almost always makes the right decision on the pitch and is also “incredibly professional” away from it. The coach explicitly sees him as a player who can pass on important details to the many younger members of Trabzonspor’s newly assembled squad.
Salah’s first major performance for Trabzonspor could hardly have come at a better time. Another crucial match awaits on Thursday: after losing the first leg 1-0, the Turkish side must overturn the deficit away to Ferencváros to reach the Europa League league phase. Following his first brace on the Black Sea coast, few players are likely to attract more attention in Budapest this week than Mohamed Salah.
