Mohamed Salah announced himself in the Turkish Süper Lig in emphatic fashion, scoring twice to fire Trabzonspor to a 2–1 victory over İstanbul Başakşehir at Papara Park.
The Egyptian forward, making his first league start for Trabzonspor, opened his account in the eighth minute after Başakşehir goalkeeper Muhammed Şengezer failed to hold Aral Şimşir’s delivery, allowing Salah to react quickest and fire the loose ball into the net. The goal was subsequently confirmed following a VAR review.
Başakşehir responded from the penalty spot in the 19th minute, with Eldor Shomurodov converting after a handball inside the Trabzonspor area to level the contest at half-time.
Salah restored Trabzonspor’s advantage only three minutes into the second half. The former Liverpool star exchanged passes with Ernest Muçi before cutting inside from the right and producing a composed finish into the far corner for his second goal of the night.
The 34-year-old came close to completing a hat-trick later in the match, but two further efforts were ruled out—one for a foul and another for offside. Despite those setbacks, Salah remained the decisive figure as Trabzonspor held on for their first league victory of the campaign.
The performance also secured a place for Salah in Süper Lig history. Opta data reported that he became the first foreign player to score twice for Trabzonspor against İstanbul Başakşehir in a home league match. He also became only the third Egyptian to score a Süper Lig goal for Trabzonspor, following Ayman Abdel-Aziz and Trézéguet.
Salah’s influence extended beyond his two goals. He led all players for shots (five), shots on target (four) and chances created (six), underlining how heavily Trabzonspor relied on their marquee signing throughout the contest.
The victory lifted Trabzonspor to four points from their opening two league matches, following their 1–1 draw away to Kasımpaşa on the opening weekend. For Başakşehir, it was their first defeat of the new league campaign.
Salah joined Trabzonspor earlier this month on a two-year contract, following his departure from Liverpool, and the club officially confirmed his arrival on August 6. After a quiet substitute appearance against Kasımpaşa, his first league start has now produced exactly the kind of statement performance Trabzonspor supporters were hoping for.