Trabzonspor manager Fatih Tekke has explained his decision to leave Paul Onuachu on the bench at kickoff during his side's 2-1 victory over Kasimpasa in a Turkish Super Lig encounter at Papara Park on Friday.

Onuachu recently returned to Trabzon after representing Nigeria at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, where he featured in five matches and found the net once in a 3-1 group stage victory over Uganda.

With the match finely poised at half-time, Onuachu was introduced from the bench and made an immediate impact, opening the scoring for the hosts. 

Kasimpasa later drew level through Fousseni Diabaté before Oleksandr Zubkov sealed the win for Trabzonspor with an 84th minute strike.

Speaking before the game, Tekke explained that Onuachu's absence from the starting lineup was a precautionary measure, citing concerns over his fitness following a lengthy journey back from international duty.