Latest Manchester United news and gossip as Jose Mourinho enjoys a successful night in the Champions League
Jose Mourinho, head coach of Fenerbahce
Jose Mourinho, head coach of Fenerbahce(Image: Ahmad Mora/Getty Images)
Former Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho enjoyed mixed emotions as he got the better of Robin van Persie in the Champions League.
Mourinho guided Fenerbahce to victory over Feyenoord in their Champions League qualifier on Tuesday night. The former United boss had previously spent two-and-a-half years at Old Trafford from 2016-18 and is now in charge of the Turkish Super Lig club.
Fenerbahce had trailed 2-1 from the first leg in the Champions League qualifier, with Feyenoord winning on home soil last week. Feyenoord have Van Persie as their manager, with both United alumni going head-to-head in the dugout this week.
The game would finish 5-2 to Fenerbahce, with Mourinho and Co. winning the tie 6-4 on aggregate. Archie Brown, Jhon Duran, Fred, Youssef En-Nesyri and Talisca scored for the Super Lig outfit to send Mourinho's team to the next round of the Champions League play-offs.
Even though Fenerbahce won the game, Mourinho was not happy with one decision. En-Nesyri thought he had opened the scoring in the 31st minute, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside.
Mourinho, though, initially believed that the effort was onside and began celebrating the goal. The former United boss was then unhappy after discovering that the goal was disallowed after En-Nesyri was offside for the effort.
Even though Mourinho was unhappy at that moment, the former United manager will be happy to have kept a promise he made after the first leg. After Fenerbahce trailed after the first-leg defeat last week, Mourinho explained why he still had confidence that his side could overturn the deficit.
"Did you know that I've never won in this stadium? I win the second legs, but I'm not superstitious," Mourinho told reporters after Fenerbahce's 2-1 defeat to Feyenoord last week.
"The feeling is, if I lose today, and they are better than us and they put us under big difficulties, I would say: 'woah, second leg, we have no chance or we have little chance.'
"The first half was a little bit more for them. The second half was not a little bit more for us, it was a lot more for us. So, we feel that we can [turn it around]."
Speaking after Tuesday's match, Mourinho said: "It’s just a coincidence. I never win in Rotterdam; I only won in ’97 with Barcelona in the Cup Winners’ Cup final against PSG.
"I’ve never won there with United, nor with Roma, nor with Fenerbahce. But then in the second leg I always managed to win and advance; I even won the Conference final against them. But I think it’s just a coincidence."
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