(The Turkish Post) – Mohamed Salah has become the first player to record 10 goal contributions in his first seven Turkish Super Lig matches, after setting up a goal in Trabzonspor’s 3-0 win at Samsunspor on Saturday, Oct. 10.
The Egyptian forward, who joined Trabzonspor from Liverpool in August, now has seven goals and three assists in seven league games. The win took the Black Sea club to 13 points after seven rounds.
Mohamed Salah sets up the third goal in Samsun
Salah had the first chance of the match at Samsun’s New 19 Mayis Stadium in the ninth minute, when a Samsunspor defender blocked his shot from a rebound.
Trabzonspor then scored three times in 12 minutes of the first half. Ernest Muci opened the scoring in the 28th minute after a pass behind the defense from Mustafa Eskihellac.
Chibuike Nwaiwu made it 2-0 in the 38th minute, scoring from the rebound after Samsunspor goalkeeper Okan Kocuk could not hold a shot from Muci. Two minutes later, Mohamed Salah sent a long ball over the Samsunspor defense, and Franculino Dju ran onto it to score the third.
Trabzonspor played the whole second half with 10 men after Melih Kabasakal was shown a straight red card in the 43rd minute. The visitors held on to their lead and recorded a second straight league win.
Samsunspor stayed on four points after the derby between the two Black Sea coast clubs.
A Super Lig record in seven games
The assist gave Mohamed Salah 10 direct goal contributions in his first seven Super Lig appearances, a record for any player at the start of a career in the Turkish top flight.
He has scored twice against Istanbul Basaksehir and once each against Amedspor and Genclerbirligi, and he also set up a goal in the 5-0 home win over Genclerbirligi in the fourth round. Official league statistics, which track data back to the 2000-01 season, showed that he became the first foreign player in Trabzonspor’s history to score four goals in his first three Super Lig starts.
His best game so far came on Sept. 19, when he scored a hat-trick and set up another goal in a 4-0 home win over reigning champions Galatasaray, their first league defeat of the season. His goals came in the 4th, 44th and 80th minutes, and he also set up a goal for Saviolo. Galatasaray coach Okan Buruk was sent off during the second half, and midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu was shown a red card late in the game.
From Liverpool to Trabzonspor
Salah, 34, signed a two-year contract with Trabzonspor on Aug. 6 on a free transfer, after leaving Liverpool at the end of last season. The club told the Istanbul stock exchange, where its shares are listed, that he would receive a total of 17 million euros a season.
Salah began his professional career at Al Mokawloon in Egypt and played for Basel, Chelsea, Fiorentina and Roma before joining Liverpool in 2017. He became one of the most prolific forwards in Liverpool’s history, winning the UEFA Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League title in 2020 and 2025.
He finished as the Premier League’s top scorer four times and was twice named African Footballer of the Year, in 2017 and 2018. He also captains the Egypt national team.
Trabzonspor has won the Turkish league title seven times, most recently in the 2021-22 season, and are the only club from outside Istanbul to have won it more than once.
Trabzonspor faces Besiktas next
Trabzonspor hosts Besiktas in the eighth round of the Super Lig. Kabasakal will miss the match through suspension after his red card in Samsun.
