From culprit to hero in a matter of minutes. That was the story of Mohamed Salah against Scotland's Hearts. He committed a naive error that denied his team a penalty, then returned to put things right and fire Trabzonspor in front.
Trabzonspor's fans endured a rollercoaster starring the Egyptian in the team's clash with Scotland's Hearts in the league phase of the UEFA Europa Conference League.
A naive error cancels a penalty
It all began when a Hearts defender touched the ball with his hand inside the penalty area, an obvious blunder. The referee pointed to the spot in the 25th minute and Trabzonspor had their penalty.
The Turks' joy did not last. A VAR review revealed that Salah had strayed offside at the moment the ball was played. That naive positioning cost his team the penalty, despite the clear handball.
Salah puts right what he spoiled
The Egyptian Pharaoh did not leave his fans frustrated for long. In the 31st minute, Trabzonspor won a second penalty after a clear foul on one of their players inside the area.
This time Salah stepped up himself. Composed as you like, he beat the Hearts goalkeeper to his right, cancelled out his earlier blunder and handed his team a deserved opening goal. The fans' anger turned to chants of his name.