Ex-Motherwell was sent sprawling in latest defeat
Former Motherwell midfielder Elliot Watt found himself embroiled in chaotic scenes at the weekend for his new side Samsunspor as they lost 3-0 to Trabzonspor in the Turkish Super Lig.
Watt, 26, joined Samsunspor for a seven-figure sum in the summer after an outstanding campaign at Fir Park last year put him on the cusp of international recognition. Making his fourth start for the club, the ex-Fir Park maestro was aiming to halt a run of four consecutive league defeats for the Turkish Super Lig outfit.
After giving as good as they got early on, the hosts crumbled in a 15-minute period that saw Watt at the centre of the action. Falling behind in the 27th minute, Trabzonspor opened the scoring when Mustafa Eskihellac’s through ball found Ernest Muci in the area, and he slid home beyond on loan Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana.
The visitors scored again 11 minutes later when Nigerian centre-back Chibuike Nwaiwu was quickest to react to a powerful shot from Muci, tapping home the rebound to double his side’s advantage.
The game was put to bed in the 43rd minute when former Liverpool icon Mo Salah fed Franculino in the area; the striker then shrugged off Samsunspor’s Gabriele Guarino to score and put his side 3-0 up. The assist meant Salah became the fastest player in Turkish Super Lig history to reach 10 goal contributions following his summer move from Anfield.
However, further drama was yet to come, with Watt embroiled in an angry confrontation just two minutes before the break. With Trabzonspor looking to add to their lead, midfielder Melih Kabasakal was fed the ball by right-back Wagner Pina before being body-checked by Watt just past the halfway line.
The collision temporarily knocked Kabasakal to the ground, but he soon bounced up, furiously launching himself at Watt before landing a headbutt on the former Motherwell man, leaving him in a heap on the pitch. The Trabzonspor defender was immediately sent off, and had to be hauled away by his teammates as angry Samsunspor players attempted to confront him.
In the melee, Watt found himself involved in a heated verbal exchange and near-physical altercation with ex-Liverpool man Salah, who was visibly unimpressed with the Scottish midfielder's heavy body check which triggered the chaotic scenes, before being separated by teammates.
Despite having the extra man advantage, Samsunspor were unable to capitalise in the second period. A fifth successive defeat, it leaves them in the relegation final relegation place of 16th in the league table, just one point ahead of rock bottom Eyupspor.
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