Former Liverpool star Mohamed Salah opens Trabzonspor account with match-winning brace against Istanbul Basaksehir

Salah marked his first Super Lig start by scoring twice to fire Trabzonspor to a 2-1 victory over Basaksehir. The Egyptian forward pounced on a goalkeeping error to open the scoring inside eight minutes before restoring his side's lead shortly after half-time following Shomurodov's penalty. The veteran winger was even denied a debut hat-trick late on when a third effort was ruled out for offside.

The 34-year-old forward moved to Turkey on a two-year contract at the start of August. His match-winning display came in just his third outing for the club, having debuted from the bench in a 1-1 draw at Kasimpasa before earning his first start against Ferencvaros in the Europa League play-offs. His rapid adaptation offers manager Fatih Tekke a proven top-tier outlet in attack.

Beyond his two decisive goals, the former Liverpool talisman came close to adding a wonder strike from distance. With the scores level at 1-1 before the interval, he unleashed a fierce long-range effort destined for the top corner, only to be denied by an acrobatic stop from the Basaksehir goalkeeper. That attempt underlined his constant threat throughout the contest, serving notice of the match-winner that followed after the break.

A trip to Hungary for the second leg against Ferencvaros comes next for Trabzonspor before an away trip to Amed SK on August 31. Getting such an immediate return from their marquee signing eases the strain of managing early European and domestic commitments. Maintaining this cutting edge in attack will be pivotal to their hopes of challenging at the top of the table.