Salah nets first Super Lig hat-trick in derby win

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The former Liverpool star put the hosts ahead as early as the fourth minute with a breakaway goal before squaring the ball for Noah Saviolo to fire a first-time finish into the bottom corner for 2-0 on 39 minutes.

Just before half-time, Salah was on hand again to finish from the centre of the box after Franculino Dju had the drawn the goalkeeper out of the net before providing the assist.

Salah completed his hat-trick 10 minutes from time with another breakaway, surging forward from inside his own half with the ball before coolly slotting it past Gala goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir to complete the scoring, before earning himself a yellow card for removing his shirt to celebrate.

The visitors night got worse still on 87 minutes when a yellow card for Lesley Ugochukwu was upgraded to a red upon a video assistant referee review for a rash knee-high challenge on Melih Kabasakal.

Trabzonspor head coach Thomas Reis called it a privilege to Salah's class in his ranks.

"Having a player of his class [Salah] in your ranks is a privilege," he said.

"But the entire team closed down the spaces perfectly, both defensively and offensively.

"We only had two intensive training sessions during the week. The fact the team implemented my match plan so flawlessly, with this lightning-quick transition play and aggressive pressing, makes me proud.

"It is the deserved reward for the hard work the lads have put in over the past few days."

Trabzonspor is now fifth on the table, and Salah was happy to help secure a statement win over the league leader before the extended international break.

"We have not had easy weeks behind us," he said. "In this short time, the new coach has given us an enormous amount of tactical security.

"We knew Galatasaray were vulnerable in transition after losing the ball – we exploited those spaces ruthlessly. This win has to be the benchmark for the coming weeks."

Salah is now the first foreign player to score in his first three home matches for Trabzonspor in the Super Lig since the 2000-2001 season.

He had already scored twice against Istanbul Basaksehir on matchday two, and he followed that up with another goal against Genclerbirligi on matchday four.

The 34-year-old Egyptian, who joined Trabzonspor after nine record-breaking seasons with Liverpool, is now just one goal away from matching the club record held by Burak Yilmaz, who scored eight goals during the opening six matches of the 2011-2012 campaign.