(foto: Instagram)
Dušan Vlahović spectacularly answered his early critics, scoring a hat-trick in Beşiktaş' 6-2 victory over Çorum before the huge derby against Fenerbahçe.
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Dušan Vlahović has needed only one match to change the conversation around his start at Beşiktaş. After facing early criticism in Turkey, the Serbian striker responded with the most convincing answer possible – three goals in a 6-2 victory over Çorum.
Vlahović was handed his first league start by coach Vincenzo Italiano and produced a devastating performance. He scored in the 43rd, 59th and 66th minutes, completing his hat-trick in just 23 minutes and emerging as the central figure in Besiktas' emphatic victory.
Turkish media hail Vlahović's show
The performance immediately dominated the Turkish sports media, with Türkiye Gazetesi, Sözcü and beIN SPORTS Türkiye all highlighting Vlahović as the hero of the evening. The victory was described as a demonstration of strength before the derby, while Sözcü summed up the Serbian's performance with a simple headline: "Vlahović put on a show!"
The timing could hardly have been better. Vlahović had failed to score in his previous appearances, increasing the pressure surrounding his start in Turkey, but one hat-trick has completely changed the mood.
More importantly, his breakthrough comes immediately before one of the biggest matches of the season. Besiktas travel to face Fenerbahçe in the Istanbul derby, and Vlahović will arrive with his confidence transformed after his first major performance in black and white.
In the space of 90 minutes, Vlahović went from a striker still waiting to make his mark to one of the biggest talking points in Turkish football. If the local headlines are any indication, the Serbian striker's Besiktas story may only just be getting started.