The key facts

  • Trabzonspor beat Besiktas 2:0 in the matchday 8 fixture of the Super Lig
  • Salah scored his eighth goal of the season and topped the scoring chart
  • Trabzonspor — fourth consecutive win under coach Thomas Reis

Trabzonspor beat Besiktas in the closing match of matchday 8

Trabzonspor defeated Besiktas 2:0 on Monday at Papara Park in the closing match of matchday 8 of the Turkish Super Lig. Mohamed Salah scored yet another goal — his eighth in the league this season.

First half: pressure from the visitors and Tufan's goal

The visitors started actively: goalkeeper Andre Onana in the 10th minute saved a close-range header from Olayitan, and four minutes later Nwaivu blocked a volley from Dusan Vlahovic. In the 17th minute Onana rescued his side again, parrying a deflected shot from Vaclav Cerny from outside the box. Despite Besiktas's pressure, Trabzonspor opened the scoring in the 21st minute through Ozan Tufan. Ernest Muci burst into the box on the left and shot from a tight angle — goalkeeper Alexander Nubel parried the ball straight to Tufan, who finished it off with a half-volley. In the 38th minute the hosts could have doubled their lead: Salah launched a counterattack, found Muci, who passed to Francklinho, but Nubel won the duel with the forward. Three minutes later Besiktas came close to equalizing: Onana parried a powerful strike from Leandro Trossard, but the follow-up from Murilo hit the woodwork.

Second half: Salah's goal and the home win

Enjoying around 65% possession, the visitors after the break still failed to break down Trabzonspor's organized defense. In the 70th minute Trossard shot just wide of the post from the edge of the box, and a minute later Salah doubled the lead. Francklinho raced down the left flank after a long ball from Aral Simshir and crossed low, and the Egyptian forward finished from close range with a volley. That goal took Salah's tally to eight goals and three assists in eight league matches, moving him to the top of the Super Lig scoring chart. Trabzonspor continued to threaten on the counterattack: in the 82nd minute Nubel saved his team twice in a row after shots from Noah Saviolo and Salah, and three minutes later Salah, after a pass from Muci, volleyed wide of the goal. In the 87th minute substitute Ilhan Fakili forced Onana into action, but Besiktas created nothing else dangerous.

Standings

The win was Trabzonspor's fourth in a row in all competitions under new head coach Thomas Reis. The team moved up to fourth place in the Super Lig table with 16 points, while Besiktas dropped to fifth with 15 points.