Mohamed Salah Makes Debut as Trabzonspor Held to Draw by Kasimpasa

Mohamed Salah made his competitive debut for Trabzonspor on Saturday, entering as a second-half substitute in their Turkish Super Lig opener as Kasimpasa fought back from a deficit to claim a 1-1 draw.

Trabzonspor initially took the lead in the first half courtesy of Noah Saviolo, before Kasimpasa's Adrian Benedyczak equalised from the penalty spot after the break. Mohamed Salah, who moved to Trabzonspor on a free transfer following nine seasons at Liverpool, was subbed on in the 58th minute right after Kasimpasa's goal.

The Egypt forward played on the right wing and generated several scoring opportunities for the visitors, though Trabzonspor failed to secure a winning goal.

“It’s a sad start today,” Trabzonspor coach Fatih Tekke stated. “It was a game we had to be victorious in, but we couldn’t succeed.”

“Thursday is really important; we play a match in Europe, and the opponent is far better than us,” Fatih Tekke noted regarding Trabzonspor's upcoming Europa League playoff against Hungarian side Ferencvaros on August 20.

Trabzonspor, who hold seven Turkish championship titles, finished third in the Super Lig last season and claimed the Turkish Cup. Earlier in the month, the 34-year-old Mohamed Salah signed a two-year deal with Trabzonspor following a historic run to the last 16 with Egypt at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Widely celebrated as the “Egyptian King” by supporters, Mohamed Salah cemented his legacy as a Premier League icon during his time with Liverpool, capturing two league titles and the Champions League among eight major trophies at Anfield. The forward remains recognised as one of the finest players in history and the top African talent of recent years.