Salah opens Turkish account with double as Trabzonspor beat Basaksehir
The Egyptian winger scored twice and had two efforts disallowed in his first league start, securing a 2-1 victory for the Black Sea club.
Mohamed Salah has marked his first league start for Trabzonspor with a pair of goals, helping the side secure their first victory of the season against Istanbul Basaksehir. The 34-year-old winger, who arrived on a free transfer from Liverpool earlier this month, opened the scoring in the eighth minute after Basaksehir goalkeeper Muhammed Sengezer failed to hold onto the ball.
Although Eldor Shomurodov levelled the contest from the penalty spot in the 19th minute, Salah restored Trabzonspor’s lead three minutes into the second half. The Egyptian burst down the right flank, exchanged passes with Ernest Muci, and slotted the ball into the far corner to give his side the 2-1 advantage.
Salah’s performance was further highlighted by two disallowed efforts in the dying moments of the match. A stoppage-time strike was chalked off for a foul in the build-up, while a long-range shot that found the empty net was ruled out for offside, with the Basaksehir goalkeeper positioned upfield for a corner.
This result concludes a period of transition for the club, as Salah had previously appeared only as a substitute in Trabzonspor’s season opener. The move from Liverpool, where he spent nine years, has been a significant institutional shift for the Turkish Super Lig side.
Trabzonspor’s attention now turns to European competition, where they face a difficult task in the Europa League playoff second leg. The team travels to Ferencvaros on Thursday, seeking to overturn a 1-0 home defeat from the first leg.
