Trabzonspor win 4-3 at Rizespor but defensive questions remain

Trabzonspor won 4-3 away at Rizespor on 26 October 2026, recovering from 2-0 down at half-time to extend their winning streak to six matches across all competitions. Gennaro Borrelli scored twice for the hosts, in the 12th and 32nd minutes, before Melih Kabasakal, Aral Şimşir and Franculino struck in a nine-minute burst after the break. Qazim Laçi made it 3-3, and Franculino's second on 83 minutes settled it.

The result keeps the run going. The performance asks whether the run is built on something that will hold.

FotMob's data shows Trabzonspor with 53% possession, 14 shots to Rizespor's nine, seven on target to six, and four big chances to three. Expected goals read 2.63 to 1.81. Trabzonspor's open-play xG of 2.55 was well above their average of 1.77 across earlier 2026/2027 matches in all competitions, and their 31 touches in the opposition box exceeded an average of 22.6. Their goals beat their xG by 1.37, against an average of 0.0 in those earlier matches.

That is a side creating more than usual and finishing more than usual. Both are worth noting. The first is repeatable; the second less so.

Rizespor, meanwhile, had failed to earn a point or score a goal in three home attempts before this match. They scored three here. Trabzonspor arrived described as bringing the meanest defence in the Super Lig. They conceded three here. One match does not overturn a season's worth of defensive work, but it does test the framing.

The tension is not that Trabzonspor won. It is that the manner of the win sits awkwardly beside the defensive reputation. A side that had struggled at home scored three times, twice through Borrelli before half-time. Trabzonspor's response after the break was emphatic, but the game was level again at 3-3 before Franculino's late winner.

Injuries may explain part of it. Trabzonspor were without Paul Onuachu, Arseniy Batagov, Ruslan Malinovskyi, Okay Yokuslu and Mustafa Eskihellac. That is a significant list, and it touches both ends of the pitch. Whether the defensive issues stem from those absences or from the tactical setup is a question the next matches will answer. The data alone cannot separate the two.

What the data does show is that Trabzonspor's attacking volume rose materially against Rizespor. The open-play xG, the touches in the box and the shot count all exceeded their earlier-season averages. The points return matched the attacking output. The defensive output did not match the reputation.

That is the process-versus-points tension in one match. Trabzonspor can outscore opponents. Whether they can keep doing so without tightening at the back is the question that will define whether this run becomes a genuine challenge or a stretch of results that flatters the underlying performance.

Rizespor's three-goal home performance may prove an outlier given their previous three home matches without a point or goal. Trabzonspor's defensive display may prove an outlier given their earlier record. Both readings are available. The next few matches will decide which one holds.