Thomas Reis, the new head coach of Trabzonspor, expressed his excitement about having a player of Mohamed Salah’s caliber on his team following the Egyptian’s hat-trick in his debut match.
The season began rocky for Trabzonspor, culminating in the dismissal of Fatih Tekke after his resignation was initially turned down by the club’s board.
Reis took over as head coach on Thursday and guided Trabzonspor to a stunning 4-0 victory over Galatasaray, the previously unbeaten leaders of the Turkish Super Lig, who finished the match with ten men after Lesley Ugochukwu received a late red card.
Salah opened the scoring just four minutes into the match, sprinting through midfield before calmly finishing. He later assisted Noah Saviolo before netting his second right before halftime, and completed his hat-trick in the 80th minute with a solo run across the pitch.
With seven goals in six league appearances for Trabzonspor, Salah’s performance drew significant praise from Reis.
“It’s a privilege to have a player like Salah on your squad,” Reis remarked. “However, the entire team worked tirelessly to minimize space both defensively and offensively.”
“Despite just having two intensive training sessions this week, the team executed my game plan wonderfully, demonstrating quick transitions and aggressive pressing. This win is a well-deserved acknowledgment of the hard work put in by the players.”
When Salah is happy, we’re all happy pic.twitter.com/DtzaOl3hD3
— Trabzonspor (@Trabzonspor) September 19, 2026
Trabzonspor was efficient, scoring on all four of their shots on target despite only attempting seven overall.
Salah led the squad in expected goals (1.3 xG), total shots (four), touches in the opponent’s box (five), and chances created (two).
This decisive win lifted them to fifth in the standings, and Salah expressed his satisfaction in securing a significant victory over the league champions before the upcoming international break.
“These past weeks haven’t been easy,” Salah stated. “In a short period, the new coach has provided us with a great tactical foundation. We recognized Galatasaray’s weaknesses on transitions and took full advantage. This victory needs to be the standard for the weeks to come.”
### Fan Take
This news is significant for soccer fans as it marks a potential turning point for Trabzonspor under new leadership, showcasing how quickly a team can adapt and thrive with star players like Salah. It also raises the stakes in the league, making the competition more intense and exciting for supporters as teams jockey for position in the table.
Source: www.soccernews.com
