Mohamed Salah continued his rapid rise in Turkish football, netting twice on his first Süper Lig start to fire Trabzonspor to a 2-1 victory over İstanbul Başakşehir.
The Egyptian forward pounced early when the goalkeeper failed to deal with the ball, poking home an effort that deflected in off the post. Başakşehir hit back through Eldor Shomurodov, who converted coolly from the penalty spot to level the scores. But Salah was not to be denied, restoring Trabzonspor’s lead with a sharp first-time finish from ten yards.
The 34-year-old almost completed a remarkable hat-trick deep into stoppage time, rounding the goalkeeper and finding the net from around 45 yards, only to see the effort chalked off for offside.
His afternoon was not without controversy, either he was shown a yellow card in the second half for simulation after going down inside the box.
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Salah’s brace marks a significant breakthrough since his stunning summer move to Turkey. The forward left Liverpool as a free agent after nine trophy-laden seasons at Anfield, where he scored 257 goals in 442 appearances and won the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup twice, FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup.
His exit brought an emotional farewell from Merseyside fans who had watched him become one of the club’s greatest-ever players.
His decision to join Trabzonspor, rather than another elite European club, stunned much of the football world. The move followed a turbulent end to his Liverpool career, having been benched for three consecutive matches under manager Arne Slot before publicly criticising the club’s handling of his situation.
Some pundits branded the switch to Turkey’s fourth-most popular club as a step down, even suggesting he had effectively walked away from the top level of the game years ahead of schedule.
Salah, however, has been clear about his reasons for the move, citing a desire for a new challenge after spells in Switzerland, Italy and England, along with the pull of an ambitious project and a passionate fanbase eager to embrace him.
Since arriving in Trabzon, he has spoken enthusiastically about the reception he received, describing the send-off from supporters as unlike anything he had experienced before.
It took Salah three appearances to open his account for the club. He started on the bench for his competitive debut against Kasımpaşa, which ended in a 1-1 draw, before earning his first start in this victory over Başakşehir.
His two goals now hand Trabzonspor a timely lift and offer an early signal that, far from winding down his career, Salah intends to leave a mark in the Süper Lig too.
