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Victor Osimhen was absent through injury when Mohamed Salah scored a hat-trick to inspire Trabzonspor to a 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 undergoing treatment and would not travel to Trabzon.
Salah gives Trabzonspor the early lead
In Osimhen’s absence, Salah was Trabzonspor’s star player, opening the scoring just four minutes into the match at Papara Park.
The Egyptian striker launched a quick counter-attack before calmly slotting past Galatasaray goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir to give the home side an early lead.
Galatasaray tries to react, but Trabzonspor remains dangerous and doubles the lead in the 39th minute.
Salah converted on that occasion, providing 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 lead before the break. He took advantage of another attacking opportunity to beat Cakir and send the hosts into a 3-0 lead.
Hat-trick completed in the second half
Galatasaray returned from half-time in need of a remarkable comeback, but Trabzonspor continued to control the match.
Salah finally completed his hat-trick in the 80th minute, breaking free before blasting the ball into the bottom corner to make it 4-0.
The performance gave Salah three goals and an assist in the match, as Trabzonspor recorded a comprehensive victory over the Turkish champions.
Galatasaray’s difficult evening worsened seven minutes after Salah’s third goal with Lesley Ugochukwu’s red card.
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 was therefore forced to finish the match with 10 players.
The defeat was Galatasaray’s first league defeat of the season and left them on 13 points after six matches. Trabzonspor moved to 10 points after the victory.
For Osimhen the result came as he continued his rehabilitation following the adductor injury that kept him out of action. His absence meant that the long-awaited clash between the Nigerian striker and Salah did not materialise, with the Egyptian instead dominating the match and making his mark in a memorable victory for Trabzonspor.
The result also underlined the attacking influence Salah provided the hosts, with his early goal, assist for Saviolo and two further goals deciding a match in which Galatasaray struggled to recover after falling behind.
