Mohamed Salah scored a brace that secured a home victory over İstanbul Başakşehir and delivered the club’s first win of the season.
The Egyptian forward struck in the eighth and 48th minutes at Papara Park. He also had two stoppage-time goals disallowed during a standout performance on his first Süper Lig start.
Salah opened the scoring after Aral Şimşir crossed from the left and Başakşehir goalkeeper Muhammed Şengezer failed to hold the ball.
The 34-year-old reacted first and directed the loose ball towards goal. The referee initially awarded a corner after Christopher Operi attempted to clear it near the line, but VAR confirmed the ball had crossed.
Başakşehir equalised in the 19th minute. The referee awarded a penalty following a VAR review after Eldor Shomurodov’s shot struck Chibuike Nwaiwu’s arm. Shomurodov converted the spot-kick, sending André Onana the wrong way.
Salah restored the lead for Trabzonspor three minutes after the restart. He moved infield from the right, exchanged passes with Ernest Muçi and placed a left-footed finish beyond Şengezer.
The former Liverpool forward threatened throughout the match. Şengezer tipped his 31st-minute chip behind before denying another effort shortly before half-time.
Salah also sent Paul Onuachu through on goal after the break, but Emin Bayram recovered to make a challenge. Another pass released Mustafa Eskihellaç, whose effort was saved.
He received a yellow card in the 79th minute after the referee ruled that he had gone down inside the penalty area without sufficient contact.
Salah appeared to complete his hat-trick twice in stoppage time. The referee disallowed his first effort for a foul during the build-up. He then found the empty net from long range after Şengezer went forward for a corner. However, the goal was ruled out for offside.
The result moved Trabzonspor onto four points after two league matches. Başakşehir remain on three points.
Mohamed Salah made his competitive Trabzonspor debut as a substitute during the opening draw with Kasımpaşa. He then made his first start in Thursday’s 1-0 Europa League play-off defeat to Ferencváros.
Trabzonspor will visit Ferencváros on Thursday, needing to overturn a one-goal deficit to reach the Europa League league phase. Their next Süper Lig match is away to Amed SK on August 31.