“Onuachu bigger threat than Salah”

Paul Onuachu of Trabzonspor greets his fans as they celebrate their victory after the Turkish Super Lig week 26 match between Trabzonspor and Caykur Rizespor at Papara Park in Trabzon, Turkiye, on March 14, 2026. Hakan Burak Altunoz / Anadolu (Photo by Hakan Burak Altunoz / Anadolu via AFP)

Konyaspor head coach İlhan Palut has revealed that his side prioritised nullifying Super Eagles striker Paul Onuachu over Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah’s threat, as they claimed a 1-0 win over Trabzonspor at the weekend.

Speaking after the Turkish Super Lig victory, Palut said his team specifically worked on cutting off the service to Onuachu during preparations for the clash, deeming the Nigerian a greater danger than his teammate, the Egyptian international.

“We have great respect for Muhammad Salah. However, who did you train for? If you ask, we worked on the balls that came to Onuachu,” Palut said. “According to the other options we have, Onuachu and (Baniya) Ryan’s match was pretty good. The struggle was sometimes one-sided, sometimes more balanced. They both played well. At some moments, we could not do what we wanted, but we did not give Onuachu a chance to hit effectively.”

An early goal from Hungarian midfielder Rajmund Toth proved enough to secure the win for Konyaspor, who avenged their 2026 Turkish Cup final defeat to Trabzonspor and also ended a run of four consecutive league defeats to open the season.

Onuachu started and played the full 90 minutes but was unable to reproduce the two-goal display that helped Trabzonspor beat Konyaspor in the Turkish Cup final in May.

The Nigerian striker endured a quiet afternoon, finishing the match without a single shot, while managing just 15 touches, only two of which came inside the Konyaspor penalty area.

The 32-year-old had passed a late fitness test to start the game after recovering from an injury sustained in Trabzonspor’s previous league match against Gençlerbirliği, in which he scored his first two league goals of the season.

He is now expected to be available when Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle names his squad for Nigeria’s crucial 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers later this month.

Onuachu will also be looking to return to scoring form when Trabzonspor host Victor Osimhen’s Galatasaray next weekend, as they aim to bounce back from the loss to Konyaspor.