Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahçe suffered a home defeat against Rangers in the first leg of their Europa League round of 16 clash, and the Portuguese manager didn’t shy away from expressing his thoughts afterward.
Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho didn’t hold back in criticizing his team after their disappointing 3-1 home defeat to Rangers in the Europa League round of 16. Despite a strong performance in the previous round against Anderlecht, Fenerbahce struggled defensively and lacked the pace to counter Rangers’ low-block strategy.
Mourinho refused to blame the referees or Rangers’ tactical shift, instead pointing to his team’s mistakes. “Defensively we made incredible mistakes,” he said. “We had no pace to follow their counters. I have to say we deserved this punishment.” However, he remained optimistic, stating, “If someone asks if it’s over, no, I don’t think it’s over.”
Rangers’ interim manager Barry Ferguson praised his team for executing their game plan, which included a defensive setup and quick counter-attacks. Despite Fenerbahce’s home advantage, Rangers secured a crucial win, with Vaclav Cerny scoring twice after Cyriel Dessers and Alexander Djiku exchanged first-half goals.
The second leg at Ibrox will determine whether Rangers advance to face Roma or Athletic Bilbao in the quarter-finals. Roma edged a 2-1 victory in their first leg against Bilbao, thanks to a late winner from Eldor Shomurodov.
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