Mohamed Salah opens his scoring account with a brace for Turkish club Trabzonspor - Sarmad
In a thrilling match during the second round of the Turkish Super Lig, Egyptian star Mohamed Salah delivered one of his most exciting performances since joining Trabzonspor from Liverpool this summer.
Salah led his team, Trabzonspor, to their first victory, defeating visitors Istanbul Basaksehir 2–1 on Sunday in the competition’s second round.
Salah did not wait long to announce his presence. Just eight minutes into the match, he capitalized on the Basaksehir goalkeeper’s failure to control the ball, calmly finished, and fired the ball into the net, giving Trabzonspor an early lead. The goal required review by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) to confirm that the ball had fully crossed the goal line before being officially validated.
Early in the second half, in the 48th minute, despite Basaksehir initiating the attack first, Salah responded in his characteristic style. He executed a precise one-two pass with a teammate before curling a low shot into the far corner of the goalkeeper’s net, restoring Trabzonspor’s comfortable 2–1 lead after Basaksehir had reduced the deficit.
Chance creation did not stop
Salah’s influence extended beyond scoring; he continued to create opportunities throughout the match:
Minute 61: Salah delivered a precise pass behind the Basaksehir defense toward Onana, who was facing the goal directly, but the goalkeeper saved the shot after pressure from a defender.
Minute 84: Salah continued distributing key passes, but his substitute teammate failed to capitalize, shooting weakly into the goalkeeper’s hands. A controversial moment followed, as Salah appealed for a penalty but was booked for simulation.
The 78th minute witnessed one of the most contentious moments of the match, when Salah was fouled inside the penalty area and appealed for a penalty. However, referee Çansalan disallowed the penalty and showed Salah a yellow card for simulation. The decision sparked discontent among both players and fans, while Salah simply responded with a smile and a laugh of disbelief.
Two disallowed goals in stoppage time
The final moments of the match featured a series of dramatic events specifically involving Salah. In the second minute of added time, Salah scored a goal, but the referee disallowed it for an infringement against him. In the fourth minute of added time, Salah scored his third personal goal, but this time it was ruled out for offside.
Thus, Salah finished the match with two official goals and two additional disallowed goals that could have completed a hat-trick, as Trabzonspor secured a 2–1 victory over Basaksehir.
Between two official goals, two disallowed goals, two key assists that did not result in goals, and a controversial penalty appeal, Mohamed Salah has reaffirmed that he remains in top scoring and technical form despite moving to a new footballing environment.
This standout performance serves as an early indicator of the role the Egyptian star is expected to play in leading Trabzonspor to a strong challenge in the Turkish Super Lig this season.
