Trabzonspor must overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit against Ferencvaros to reach the Europa League, a daunting task for Mohamed Salah, who has never reversed a continental tie on the road.
A 0-1 defeat for Trabzonspor, one of the most proactive sides in the summer transfer window, leaves them needing an outright victory in Hungary to reach the League Phase of the 2026-27 Europa League. Despite the slender margin, history is heavily stacked against the Trabzon outfit and Mohamed Salah, their marquee summer arrival and talisman, for whom European comebacks have long proved an elusive dream.
Across his career, Salah’s teams have trailed after the first leg of a European tie on 12 occasions, managing to overturn the deficit just twice: Liverpool’s memorable 4-0 win against Barca (which the Egyptian missed through injury) and a 4-0 triumph in last season’s Champions League round of 16 after a 1-0 first-leg loss to Galatasaray.
Those two instances stand out as rare highlights in a series of European disappointments, particularly away from home. Salah has suffered a first-leg defeat on home soil in a continental knockout tie on five occasions… and was eliminated every single time (against Cluj, Chelsea, Atalanta, and twice against Real Madrid). Now, against Ferencvaros, Salah has the opportunity to rewrite history and avert the first major setback of his Turkish adventure just weeks after joining the club.
