Mourinho Acknowledges Fans As Decisive Factor In Fenerbahce's Champions League Qualifying Victory

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Jose Mourinho credited Fenerbahce's fans as the key factor in their 5-2 victory against Feyenoord in the Champions League qualifiers. Despite a 2-1 loss in the first leg, goals from Archie Brown, Jhon Duran, Fred, Youssef En-Nesyri, and Talisca propelled the Turkish team to the playoff round. Mourinho highlighted the fans' influence, especially after conceding an early goal.

Feyenoord initially took the lead with Tsuyoshi Watanabe scoring in the 41st minute. However, Fenerbahce responded quickly with goals from Brown and Duran before halftime. Fred and En-Nesyri further strengthened their position, although Watanabe scored again for Feyenoord. Talisca sealed the win with a late goal, ensuring a 6-4 aggregate triumph in Istanbul.

Mourinho praised his team's resilience and noted that last season they might have lost such a match. "Compared to last season, the decisive factor today was our fans," he stated. The atmosphere created by the supporters helped maintain a positive feeling on the pitch even when trailing.

Mourinho acknowledged that his players are still adapting to new strategies and highlighted their aggressive strikers and hardworking midfielders as strengths. He also mentioned Irfan Egribayat's crucial save that prevented Feyenoord from equalising at 2-2. Despite some defensive lapses, Mourinho felt his team deserved more than their initial defeat in Rotterdam.

The partnership between Duran and En-Nesyri was particularly effective against Feyenoord. Duran led with four shots and six touches in the box while En-Nesyri excelled in duels and contributed both a goal and an assist.

Upcoming Challenges

Fenerbahce will now face Benfica for a place in the league phase of the competition. Benfica secured their spot by defeating Nice 4-0 on aggregate, with Fred Aursnes opening the scoring before assisting Andreas Schjelderup for another goal. Nice failed to register any shots on target despite nine attempts.

Mourinho recognised his team's fatigue at this early stage of the season but remained optimistic about their prospects. He believes Fenerbahce has shown enough quality to advance further in the competition.