Egyptian star Mohamed Salah featured in his team Trabzonspor’s 1-0 defeat against Hungary’s Ferencváros in the first leg of the Europa League qualifying playoff.
Trabzonspor had signed Mohamed Salah, who arrived on August 5th to a warm welcome, and he has since featured in a draw and a defeat.
According to the Turkish website "61 saat," Mohamed Salah will lead Trabzonspor in a difficult position following the first-leg result, as the team aims to qualify for the Europa League.
Trabzonspor needs to score two goals next Thursday, August 27, in Budapest. They can qualify by winning 1-0 and advancing via extra time or penalties, while Ferencváros only needs a draw to progress.
Mohamed Salah has yet to score despite his intense efforts. Tunc Kaya, a writer for the Turkish newspaper "Fanatik," highlighted the Egyptian’s fighting spirit against Ferencváros.
He noted that Ferencváros delivered a performance characterized by cohesion and tactical discipline, with their defense focusing particularly on marking Salah. Despite tight marking, Salah attempted to challenge the opponent’s defense thanks to his fighting spirit. Meanwhile, it was observed that Trabzonspor was not effective in the penalty area during the first half, despite having possession of the ball.
Fatih Tekke changed Mohamed Salah’s position to bring him closer to the central areas after making substitutions in the second half, which led Trabzonspor to intensify their changes. Ferencváros retreated to defend entirely to protect their lead. Trabzonspor failed to score despite trying various attacking options. The Turkish journalist praised Mohamed Salah and his great dedication on the pitch, noting that Trabzonspor’s hopes remain alive for the second leg despite this difficult situation.
Meanwhile, another writer, "Olcay Şakir," believes that Trabzonspor’s attack relied heavily on Mohamed Salah’s individual talent and that the team’s collective performance was not effective enough.
He pointed out that Trabzonspor is capable of qualifying for the next round and will need some changes, even though they were unable to match the opponent’s strong playing style yesterday. However, the solution does not lie solely in new signings, as the individual solutions provided by Salah, Onana, and Onuachu will be sufficient to qualify the team.