Mohamed Salah made his competitive debut for Trabzonspor on Saturday, coming off the bench in their Turkish Super Lig opener as Kasimpasa recovered from a goal down to earn a 1-1 draw.
Former Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah was introduced as a second half substitute in the 58th minute, shortly after Kasimpasa had levelled from the penalty spot through Adrian Benedyczak. The Egypt international, deployed on the right wing, helped craft several openings for the visitors, but Trabzonspor could not find a winning goal.
Trabzonspor had taken the lead in the first half through Noah Saviolo before Kasimpasa’s equaliser changed the momentum.
“It’s a sad start today,” Trabzonspor coach Fatih Tekke said. “It was a game we had to be victorious in, but we couldn’t succeed.”
Tekke also looked ahead to Trabzonspor’s Europa League playoff against Hungarian side Ferencvaros on August 20. “Thursday is really important; we play a match in Europe, and the opponent is far better than us,” he added.
In his first minutes for the seven time Turkish champions, Salah was unable to inspire a late winner. Trabzonspor finished third in the Super Lig last season and won the Turkish Cup.
Salah, 34, signed a two year contract with Trabzonspor earlier this month after nine seasons at Liverpool. His move came shortly after he guided Egypt to a historic last 16 run at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Widely known as the “Egyptian King,” Salah established himself as a Premier League great at Liverpool, where he won two league titles and the Champions League among eight major honours. He is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and the finest from the African continent in recent years.
Salah’s debut may not have produced a victory, but his arrival has raised expectations at Trabzonspor as they prepare for a challenging European tie on Thursday.
