Onuachu Posed Bigger Threat Than Salah – Konyaspor Coach

Photo Credit: Hakan Burak Altunoz / Anadolu via AFP – Paul Onuachu of Trabzonspor greets fans after the Turkish Super Lig match at Papara Park on March 14, 2026
Onuachu Posed Bigger Threat Than Salah – Konyaspor Coach
Konyaspor head coach, İlhan Palut, has admitted his team focused more on stopping Super Eagles striker Paul Onuachu than on Mohamed Salah during their Turkish Super Lig clash against Trabzonspor.

Konyaspor claimed a 1-0 victory over Trabzonspor at the weekend, thanks to an early strike from Hungarian midfielder Rajmund Toth. The win was revenge for their defeat to Trabzonspor in the Turkish Cup final in May and also ended their four-game losing run at the start of the season.

Speaking after the match, Palut said his side deliberately worked on cutting off supply to Onuachu in training, rating him as more dangerous than his Egyptian teammate.
“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. “We did not give Onuachu a chance to hit effectively.”
Onuachu played the entire 90 minutes but had a quiet outing. The Nigerian forward, who scored twice against Konyaspor in the Cup final in May, failed to register a single shot and had just 15 touches, with only two inside the opposition box.

The 32-year-old had only just passed a late fitness test to feature after picking up a knock in Trabzonspor’s previous game against Gençlerbirliği, where he scored his first two league goals of the season.

He will now hope to return to scoring form when Trabzonspor host Victor Osimhen’s Galatasaray next weekend, and is also expected to be in contention for the Super Eagles squad for the crucial 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers later this month.
Source: Punch Newspapers