Trabzonspor entered their match against Gençlerbirliği under intense pressure following an exit from the UEFA Europa League at the hands of Ferencváros and a surprise league defeat against Amedspor—results that brought Fatih Tekke’s managerial tenure to an end in recent days.
Trabzonspor’s board assigned interim duties to Hüseyin Çimşir until a permanent manager is appointed, placing him in a demanding test against a Gençlerbirliği side that had collected 7 points from their opening three matches without incurring a single defeat.
However, Trabzonspor produced their finest display of the season, dismantling their visitors 5–0. Paul Onuachu opened the scoring in the fifth minute before Mohamed Salah doubled the lead from the penalty spot in the 14th minute. Onuachu then struck again in the 22nd minute to net his second and his side’s third.
The home team’s dominance continued into the second half, with Salah providing the assist for Ernest Muçi’s 59th-minute strike before Franculino wrapped up the goal spree in the 78th minute, ensuring the Egyptian star combined both a goal and an assist on an exceptional night at Papara Park.
With this strike, Salah reached 4 goals in his first three starts for Trabzonspor in the Süper Lig, becoming the first foreign player to achieve this milestone for the club since the 2000–2001 season.
The 5–0 victory established several historical milestones: it marked Trabzonspor’s largest league win over Gençlerbirliği since a 6–0 triumph in May 1994, and represented the first time the club scored three goals within the opening 22 minutes of a Süper Lig match since facing Çanakkale Dardanelspor in April 1997.
Furthermore, Trabzonspor secured their first clean sheet and shutout victory in the league since beating Eyüpspor 1–0 in March 2026. The stats reflected their dominance, outshooting the visitors 23 to 14, generating an expected goals (xG) figure of 3.21 to 0.87, and recording 41 touches inside the opposition box.
The win lifted Trabzonspor to 7 points from four matches, temporarily climbing to third place—three points behind leaders Galatasaray—while Gençlerbirliği remained on 7 points. Salah’s side will travel to face Konyaspor on Saturday, September 12, for Matchday 5, seeking to consolidate their revival before a permanent head coach is finalized.
