Paul Onuachu was among the goals as Trabzonspor recorded a comfortable victory over Fatih Karagumruk to advance to the final of the Turkish Cup. Abdullah Avci’s side completed a home and away victory over their opponents after cruising to a 7-2 aggregate win on Wednesday.
Trabzonspor had beaten Karagumruk 3-2 in the first leg of the Turkish Cup semi-final a fortnight ago at the Papara Park, and finished the job in the reverse fixture with an even more impressive display away from home.
Onuachu made his fourth consecutive appearance since returning from a one-month injury layoff when he was named in the starting line-up against Karagumruk. Having been involved in three goals and one assist in his previous two matches, the Nigeria international came into the game on the back of a rich vein of form.
However, the striker and the entire Trabzonspor attack struggled to break down the resolute defence of the hosts, who sat back and were looking to play on the counter-attack. With nothing to separate the two teams at half-time, Onuachu needed just nine minutes after the restart to find the back of the net.
Paul Onuachu scores 13th goal of the season for Trabzonspor
The 29-year-old beat the offside trap following a cross from Thomas Meunier before applying a first-time left-footed finish to give Trabzonspor the lead. Onuachu’s goal opened the floodgates for the visitors, and they made it 2-0 in the 69th minute, thanks to Taxiarchis Fountas’ well-taken effort.
Onuachu’s night, however, came to an end on the hour mark when he was replaced by Umut Bozok. The Turkey international went on to make the most of his time on the pitch by scoring twice in the space of four minutes. Bozok first made it 3-0 with a cool finish before adding Trabzonspor’s fourth goal after successfully scoring from the penalty spot as Avci’s side booked their place in the final of the Turkish Cup.
For Onuachu, though, his goal against Karagumruk was his 13th of the season in all competitions, as the striker continues his rejuvenation in Turkey. The Nigerian is on loan from Southampton after a failed stint with the English side but seems to have rediscovered his mojo after joining Trabzonspor.
The former Genk forward has also provided four assists this term, taking his goal contributions to 17 in 23 matches for the Turkish club. He also now has a great chance of winning a trophy with Trabzonspor, who will face Besiktas in the final of the Turkish Cup after the latter defeated Ankaragucu 1-0 on aggregate in the other semi-final clash.
Onuachu’s future still shrouded in uncertainty
Meanwhile, it is still uncertain where Onuachu will play his football next season. The 29-year-old’s impressive stint with Trabzonspor has led to the club pushing to sign him permanently.
However, the Turkish side do not seem to have the financial muscle to match Southampton’s €13 million valuation of the striker. The Saints are keen on selling the Nigerian, who they do not deem as a good fit at the club, but aren’t prepared to go any lower than their asking price after signing him for €21 million just under 22 months ago.
While Trabzonspor are interested in keeping Onuachu beyond the current season, he has also recently been linked with a move to newly-promoted Turkish Super Lig side Goztepe, who share ownership with Southampton’s directors.
Onuachu’s options are very limited in the summer, though, especially with Trabzonspor also reportedly keeping an eye on the striker’s compatriot Kelechi Iheanacho, who will be able to join another club on a free transfer when his contract with Leicester City runs out in the summer.
