Trabzonspor secured a stunning 4-0 victory over Galatasaray in the Turkish Süper Lig, with Mohamed Salah scoring a hat-trick and providing an assist. The Egyptian forward opened the scoring in the fourth minute, racing through the Galatasaray defence to beat goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır with his trademark left foot. This impressive start set the tone for Trabzonspor's dominant performance. Galatasaray struggled to respond, with Ismail Jakobs forcing André Onana into a fingertip save, only for the ball to strike the post.
Trabzonspor doubled their lead in the 39th minute, with Salah demonstrating his creativity by finding Noah Saviolo, who finished accurately into the far corner. Five minutes later, Franculino Djú dispossessed Davinson Sánchez and released Salah, who calmly scored his second to send Trabzonspor into the interval leading 3-0. This impressive display from Salah and Trabzonspor left Galatasaray with a significant challenge to mount a comeback.
Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk attempted to inspire a comeback by introducing Barış Alper Yılmaz at half-time, but the defending champions struggled to break down Trabzonspor. Buruk was sent off in the 72nd minute after protesting a challenge by Stefan Savić on Leroy Sané. This dismissal further complicated Galatasaray's task, and they were unable to recover from the deficit.
Salah completed his hat-trick in the 80th minute, advancing through the centre before placing another composed left-footed finish beyond Çakır. This goal sealed the victory for Trabzonspor and marked a disappointing evening for Galatasaray. The visitors' woes worsened when substitute Lesley Ugochukwu was shown a straight red card following a VAR review of his challenge on Ozan Tufan.
The result marked Galatasaray's first league defeat of the season and provided a dream start for new Trabzonspor manager Thomas Reis, who was appointed on Thursday. Reis signed a two-season contract after previously working in Turkey with Samsunspor. This victory lifted Trabzonspor to fifth place with 10 points, three behind Galatasaray, who remain top with 13 points.
Salah's performance was his most complete display yet, directly involved in all four goals against the champions. The 34-year-old's seven goals in six league appearances since joining Trabzonspor on a free transfer have made a significant impact. He is now one short of the club benchmark set by Burak Yılmaz, who scored eight times during the opening six matches of the 2011-12 campaign.
The scale of the defeat will concern Buruk, whose team included stars such as Leroy Sané, Rafael Leão, Lucas Torreira, and Gabriel Sara but was repeatedly exposed by Trabzonspor's counter-attacks. For Salah, however, the match provided another demonstration that his goalscoring powers remain intact following his move from the Premier League to Turkey.
Key points
- Mohamed Salah scored a hat-trick and provided an assist in Trabzonspor's 4-0 victory over Galatasaray.
- The victory marked Galatasaray's first league defeat of the season and provided a dream start for new Trabzonspor manager Thomas Reis.
- Salah has now scored seven goals in his opening six Süper Lig matches since joining Trabzonspor.
