Turkey legend: this is the 'Leo' Salah for those who understand
"I'm here": Trabzon sends a message to all its rivals
Former Turkish football star Nihat Kahveci could not hide his admiration for Mohamed Salah's display against Galatasaray on Saturday, as the Egyptian led Trabzonspor to a 4-0 win in the sixth round of the Turkish league.
Salah set the tone inside three minutes with an early opener, then completed his hat-trick in the 44th and 80th minutes. Noah Safiolo grabbed the second in the 39th minute, teed up by a decisive assist from the Egypt captain.
Galatasaray's night went from bad to worse. Coach Okan Buruk saw red in the 72nd minute after a protest, and Lesley Ugochukwu, on since the 69th minute, was dismissed in the 87th following a VAR review.
"I'm here to compete": Trabzon sends a message to everyone
Kahveci said after the match: "It was a very beautiful match. The Black Sea region is a rainy area, and especially yesterday there was heavy rain, and today Trabzonspor rained goals on Galatasaray 4-0 with a wonderful performance in front of its fans."
He said: "Trabzonspor wanted to send a message to everyone: I am in this league to compete as well."
Kahveci added: "Before this match I said that Trabzonspor's match was a final, because if it lost, the points gap with the leaders Galatasaray would be nine points."
He continued: "It won this final, reduced the points gap with the leaders to three, and raised its tally to 10 points."
Kahveci reserved special praise for star man Mohamed Salah, going as far as comparing him to the legendary Lionel Messi, according to Turkish newspaper Hurriyet. "I don't know what I should say about Salah. In my opinion, he is Leo Salah for those who understand," he said.
"He receives the ball in midfield, dribbles, thinks, then scores. That is what happened with the last goal," he continued.
"He scored the first goal, then said to Sallai: 'Go ahead, take it', and Sallai finished the move brilliantly," he added.
Kahveci went on: "In a crushing 4-0 win, there are stars and good players, but there are also shining stars. Salah said today: 'I am a shining star', and he deserves the applause, he is a great player."
The win took Trabzonspor to 10 points and fifth place, while Galatasaray stayed top on 13.
Once the international break is over, Trabzonspor travel to Samsunspor. Galatasaray, meanwhile, host Kasimpasa.
