Konyaspor coach explains plan that frustrated Onuachu in Trabzonspor win

Konyaspor head coach İlhan Palut has explained how his side managed to contain the threat of Super Eagles striker Paul Onuachu in their 1-0 win over Trabzonspor on Saturday, Soccernet.ng reports.

The Green-Whites secured their first win of the season in the Turkish Super Lig as they avenged their 2026 Turkish Cup final defeat to the Black Sea Storm.

An early goal from Hungarian midfielder Rajmund Toth proved enough to secure all three points for Konyaspor and the victory also ended their difficult start to the campaign, as they picked up their first points after suffering four consecutive defeats in their opening four league matches.

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

The Nigerian striker endured a quiet afternoon, finishing the match without a single shot. He also managed just 15 touches, with only two coming inside the Konyaspor penalty area.

İlhan Palut explains how Konyaspor subdued Onuachu

The Super Eagles forward had passed a late fitness test and was cleared to start after recovering from the injury he suffered during Trabzonspor’s previous league game against Gençlerbirliği. 

The 32-year-old had scored his first two league goals of the season in that match, but he struggled to make an impact against Konyaspor as the home side successfully limited the service he received.

Speaking after the match, Palut revealed that his team had specifically worked on containing the threat of the Nigerian star during their preparations for the clash.

“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”, the Konyaspor coach said post-match.

“According to the other options we have, Onuachu and Ryan’s match was pretty good. The struggle was sometimes one-sided, sometimes more balanced. They both played well. At some moments, we couldn’t do what we wanted, but we didn’t give Onuachu a chance to hit effectively”, he added.

Onuachu’s recovery from injury will be encouraging news for Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle, as Nigeria face a crucial run of matches in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers later this month.

The Nigerian striker will also be looking to rediscover his scoring touch when Trabzonspor face Victor Osimhen’s Galatasaray in a blockbuster clash next weekend as they look to bounce back from the defeat to Konyaspor.