Trabzonspor’s 5-0 win over Genclerbirligi was more than just a big result in the Turkish Super Lig. It also marked a strong start for new coach Huseyin Cimsir and another impressive night for Egyptian star Mohamed Salah, who scored, assisted and played a major role in the victory.

Trabzonspor won 5-0 at Papara Park in the fourth round of the 2026-27 Turkish Super Lig season, moving to seven points and climbing to fourth place in the table.

It was the team’s first game under Cimsir following the departure of Fatih Tekke, and Trabzonspor showed several signs of a new attacking approach, with the team trying to create more options instead of depending only on Salah.

Salah shines

Trabzonspor made a fast start and needed only five minutes to open the scoring through Nigerian striker Paul Onuachu.

In the 14th minute, the home side were awarded a penalty. Onuachu gave the ball to Salah, despite having the chance to increase his own scoring tally.

Salah made no mistake from the spot and scored Trabzonspor’s second goal before Onuachu struck again in the 22nd minute to give the hosts full control of the match.

Salah’s role was not limited to scoring.

The Egyptian moved into central areas more often instead of staying wide on the right. He also focused more on passing and creating chances for his teammates rather than relying only on individual runs.

His influence appeared again in the 59th minute when he provided the assist for Ernest Muci to score Trabzonspor’s fourth goal.

It was Salah’s second direct contribution of the game and his first assist for Trabzonspor.

Frankulino completed the scoring in the 78th minute as Trabzonspor finished the match with a comfortable five-goal victory.

Salah received an 8.5 rating from SofaScore, the highest score among players from both teams.

He produced six key passes and completed 31 of his 37 passes for an accuracy rate of 84%. He also had two shots and recorded 57 touches.

Not all of Salah’s numbers were perfect. He failed to complete a successful dribble from six attempts and lost possession on several occasions, but his overall attacking influence remained clear through his goal, assist and chance creation.

There was also a worrying moment in the first half when Salah challenged Osman Diabate for an aerial ball in the 35th minute. The Egyptian managed to avoid a collision that could have caused a serious injury.

Salah also reached another notable milestone.

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According to Opta, he became the first foreign player to score four goals in his first three Turkish Super Lig starts for Trabzonspor since the 2000-01 season.

A new Trabzonspor

The five-goal victory was not only about Salah’s performance. It also showed some of the ideas Cimsir is trying to introduce.

Trabzonspor created more attacks from the left side, with Aral Simsir making forward runs, while Salah was given more freedom to move inside and become involved in passing and chance creation.

This gave Trabzonspor more attacking options and reduced the team’s dependence on Salah creating everything from the right wing.

Trabzonspor also looked dangerous during quick transitions and counter-attacks, with several players getting into attacking positions.

That movement gave Salah more space and made it harder for the opposition to focus only on stopping him.

However, the 5-0 scoreline did not mean the performance was perfect.

Genclerbirligi created several dangerous chances, forcing goalkeeper Andre Onana to make important saves.

Stefan Savic also made an important clearance close to the goal line, while another attempt from the visitors hit the post.

Trabzonspor also left spaces in midfield after losing possession, something that could become a bigger problem against stronger attacking teams.

Fabinho’s presence did not completely solve those problems either. While he helped with positioning and starting attacks through his passing, he struggled at times with pressing the player on the ball and in individual duels.

For that reason, the 5-0 victory represents an excellent start for Cimsir, but it should not hide the areas that still need improvement.

For Salah, it was an almost complete night: a goal, an assist, the highest match rating and another individual record.

The bigger challenge for both Salah and Trabzonspor will now be repeating this level when they face stronger opponents.

If Cimsir can continue giving Salah this level of freedom while keeping different attacking options and improving the defensive side of the team, this five-goal win could become more than one impressive result.

It could be the first real sign of a new version of Trabzonspor this season.