Mohamed Salah scored his first two goals for Trabzonspor on his first Turkish Super Lig start as his new side beat Istanbul Basaksehir, while the Egypt forward came close to completing a hat-trick in dramatic fashion.
The 34-year-old opened his account for the club after dispossessing away goalkeeper Muhammed Sengezer. Salah then finished the move with a shot that took a deflection before striking the inside of the post and crossing the line.
His second goal came after Eldor Shomurodov had brought Istanbul Basaksehir level from the penalty spot. Salah responded with a first-time finish from 10 yards to put Trabzonspor back in front.
The former Liverpool forward had to wait until his third appearance for Trabzonspor to score for the first time. He came on as a substitute against Kasimpasa last weekend before starting the first leg of the club’s Europa League play-off against Ferencvaros, which ended in defeat.
Salah joined Trabzonspor this summer on a free transfer after nine years with Liverpool, during which he scored 257 goals for the club. He had initially been expected to move to Saudi Arabia but instead agreed a two-year contract with the Turkish side, reportedly earning £280,000 a week.
His first start in the Turkish Super Lig brought an immediate contribution, although the evening also included a late moment of frustration. With 11 minutes remaining, Salah was shown a yellow card after being judged to have dived in the penalty area.
He appeared to have added a third goal during injury time when he found the net from 45 yards with Sengezer out of position and the goal unguarded. However, the effort was ruled out for offside.
The brace gives Salah his first goals since moving to Turkey and marks a significant early moment in his Trabzonspor career. He had already featured for the club in two different matches, but this was his first league start and his first opportunity to make a full attacking impact from the beginning.
Despite the disallowed late effort, Salah finished the match with two goals as Trabzonspor claimed victory over Istanbul Basaksehir. His performance included a goal created by pressure on the goalkeeper, a composed finish to restore the lead and a near miss that would have completed a memorable hat-trick.
