Salah hits a hat-trick as Trabzonspor thrash Galatasaray 4-0

Mohamed Salah scored three times as Trabzonspor beat Galatasaray 4-0 at Papara Park on Saturday night, handing the Turkish champions their first defeat of the season.

Salah opened the scoring in the 4th minute, set up Noah Saviolo for the second on 39, made it 3-0 on 44 with a finish from a Franculino Dju pass, and completed the hat-trick on 80 minutes.

The numbers

• Final score: Trabzonspor 4, Galatasaray 0
• Salah this season: 7 goals and 2 assists in 6 league appearances since joining last month
• Table: Trabzonspor move to 5th on 10 points from 6 games, three points behind leaders Galatasaray
• Discipline: Galatasaray coach Okan Buruk was sent off in the 71st minute, Lesley Ugochukwu saw red on 87

It was the first defeat of the Turkish Super Lig season for Galatasaray, who still lead the table.

Why Pakistani fans are watching a Turkish league

Salah's move to Trabzonspor last month made the Turkish Super Lig appointment viewing for a lot of people here who had followed him through his years in the Premier League. Seven goals in six games says the 34-year-old has not slowed down on the move, and the club's new manager, Thomas Reis, who took over after Fatih Tekke left, now has a striker in the best scoring form in the division.

Trabzonspor's problem is the gap: three points behind Galatasaray after six rounds, with the rest of the season to close it. Galatasaray had won every match before Saturday.

What next

The Super Lig runs through the winter with a mid-season break. Salah's next test is whether the goals keep coming against the sides below Galatasaray, where Trabzonspor have dropped most of their points.

For the rest of the weekend's sport, including cricket from the Asian Games, see our cricket coverage.