Super Lig: Super Eagles defender explains Salah after 2-1 win

Mohamed Salah scored twice as Trabzonspor defeated Istanbul Basaksehir 2-1 at Papara Park on Sunday. The performance prompted Super Eagles centre-back Chibuike Nwaiwu to outline the level of preparation he believes is required to contain the Egyptian forward.

Nwaiwu said defenders must combine full physical readiness with complete mental concentration when facing Salah. He also made clear that the challenge would appeal to him, provided he was fully prepared before stepping onto the pitch.

The Trabzonspor defender does not believe Salah can be neutralised through ordinary marking alone. In his assessment, the forward’s technical quality makes him difficult to remove from a match, while even a small lapse in concentration can create an opportunity for him to punish a defence.

Salah opened the scoring in the eighth minute and restored Trabzonspor’s advantage three minutes after half-time. He later found the net twice more, but both efforts were disallowed, one because of a foul and the other for offside. The display underlined the threat Nwaiwu had highlighted after the game.

The victory came after Salah had made his league debut as a second-half substitute in Trabzonspor’s 1-1 draw at Kasımpaşa. He entered that match in the 58th minute. In Europe, he started the first leg of the Europa League play-off against Ferencváros, with Trabzonspor losing 1-0 and needing to overturn the deficit in the return fixture on Thursday.

Nwaiwu’s message is that dealing with Salah begins before the contest itself: defenders must remain focused for the entire assignment and be ready for the forward’s quality. Trabzonspor’s 2-1 win provided a recent example of both his scoring ability and the difficulty of keeping him quiet.