Victor Osimhen was absent through injury as Mohamed Salah scored a hat-trick to inspire Trabzonspor to a commanding 4-0 victory over Galatasaray in the Turkish Super Lig on Saturday.
The highly anticipated clash had been billed as a meeting between two of Africa’s biggest attacking stars, but Osimhen was left out of Galatasaray’s squad as he continued his recovery from a right adductor injury. Galatasaray had confirmed before the match that the Nigerian was among the players continuing treatment and would not travel to Trabzon.
Salah gives Trabzonspor early lead
In Osimhen’s absence, Salah took centre stage for Trabzonspor, opening the scoring just four minutes into the encounter at Papara Park.
The Egyptian forward raced clear during a quick counter-attack before calmly finishing past Galatasaray goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir to give the hosts an early advantage.
Galatasaray tried to respond, but Trabzonspor remained dangerous and doubled their lead in the 39th minute.
Salah turned provider on that occasion, delivering the assist for Noah Saviolo, who produced a composed finish to make it 2-0.
Five minutes later, Salah found the net again to give Trabzonspor a three-goal advantage before half-time. He capitalised on another attacking opportunity to beat Cakir and send the hosts into the break 3-0 ahead.
Hat-trick completed in second half
Galatasaray returned from the interval needing a remarkable comeback, but Trabzonspor continued to control the contest.
Salah eventually completed his hat-trick in the 80th minute, breaking clear before sending the ball into the bottom corner to make it 4-0.
The performance gave Salah three goals and an assist in the match, while Trabzonspor recorded a comprehensive victory over the Turkish champions.
Galatasaray’s difficult evening worsened seven minutes after Salah’s third goal when Lesley Ugochukwu was sent off.
Ugochukwu was initially shown a yellow card, but following a VAR review, referee Batuhan Kolak overturned the decision and produced a straight red card. Galatasaray were therefore forced to finish the match with 10 players.
The defeat was Galatasaray’s first league loss of the season and left them on 13 points after six matches. Trabzonspor moved to 10 points following the victory.
For Osimhen, the result came as he continued his rehabilitation from the adductor injury that has kept him out of action. His absence meant the much-anticipated contest between the Nigerian striker and Salah did not materialise, with the Egyptian instead dominating the encounter and putting his mark on a memorable Trabzonspor victory.
The result also underlined the attacking influence Salah provided for the hosts, with his early goal, assist for Saviolo and two further strikes deciding a match in which Galatasaray struggled to recover after falling behind.
