Eight minutes were enough
Trabzonspor had waited two competitive matches for their marquee signing to score. Once Salah was handed his first Süper Lig start, he needed only eight minutes.
According to Reuters’ match report carried by CNA, Başakşehir goalkeeper Muhammed Şengezer failed to hold the ball after a cross into the area and Salah reacted quickest to force it over the line. The decision was not immediate, with the referee initially awarding a corner before VAR confirmed that the ball had crossed the line.
Başakşehir responded quickly through Eldor Shomurodov, who converted a penalty in the 19th minute after a VAR review spotted handball inside the area. Salah nevertheless remained Trabzonspor’s most dangerous attacker and twice forced Şengezer into saves before half-time.
Three minutes after the restart, the Egyptian struck again. He exchanged passes with Ernest Muçi on the right side of the penalty area, burst into space and calmly finished into the far corner to restore Trabzonspor’s lead. It was the kind of goal Liverpool supporters had watched repeatedly during Salah’s nine years at Anfield.
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Two goals could easily have become four
The final 2-1 scoreline does not fully explain Salah’s influence.
Anadolu Agency’s detailed account of Trabzonspor’s victory shows that Salah continued creating chances after his second goal. In the 61st minute, his through-ball released Paul Onuachu inside the area before Emin Bayram recovered to intervene. Later, another Salah pass sent Mustafa Eskihellaç into shooting position.
Then came a remarkable stoppage-time sequence.
Salah appeared to complete his hat-trick, only for the goal to be disallowed because of a foul earlier in the move. Minutes later he scored again from long range after the Başakşehir goalkeeper had gone forward for a corner, but that effort was also ruled out, this time for offside. Reuters therefore recorded a performance in which Salah put the ball in the net four times, even though only two counted.
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Those were Salah’s first goals in Turkish football. His Süper Lig debut against Kasımpaşa had come from the bench a week earlier, when he entered in the 58th minute of a 1-1 draw. Between the two league matches he started Trabzonspor’s Europa League playoff first leg against Ferencváros, a 1-0 home defeat.
The Başakşehir match was therefore only his third competitive appearance for the club.
Trabzonspor made an enormous bet on Salah
Salah’s arrival was never simply about finding another experienced forward.
The 34-year-old moved to Turkey on a free transfer after nine seasons at Liverpool, where he scored 257 goals in 442 appearances and won the Premier League twice as well as the Champions League. According to The Guardian’s report on his Trabzonspor contract, Salah signed for two years and will earn €17 million per season, with performance bonuses and a 20% share of merchandise sold under his name also included in the agreement.
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The commercial reaction was immediate. A subsequent Guardian feature on how Trabzonspor secured the signing reported that more than 17,000 season tickets were sold within 24 hours of Salah’s arrival. Club president Ertuğrul Doğan expects his presence to generate substantial additional revenue through tickets, sponsorships and merchandise.
Salah himself made clear at his presentation that trophies, rather than simply a lucrative final contract, were the target: “I am here to win, I want to win something with this club.”
His goals arrive before Trabzonspor’s biggest game yet
The timing of the brace could hardly be more important.
Trabzonspor opened the Süper Lig season with a 1-1 draw at Kasımpaşa before losing 1-0 at home to Ferencváros. Sunday’s 2-1 win was therefore their first victory in any competition this season and moved them to four league points.
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Their attention now turns immediately back to Europe.
According to UEFA’s official Europa League playoff schedule, Trabzonspor visit Ferencváros on Thursday, August 27 trailing 1-0 from the first leg. The winner qualifies for the Europa League league phase, while the defeated side drops into the Conference League league phase.
That means Trabzonspor need at least one goal in Budapest simply to level the tie.
After failing to score in his first two appearances, Salah has just put the ball in the net four times in 90 minutes.
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For Trabzonspor, the most useful part of Sunday’s breakthrough is that their €17 million-a-year forward appears to have found his finishing touch immediately before the match that will decide which European competition they play this autumn.
