If only Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce players had delivered a performance as accomplished as the one he offered up.
After watching his side burgled in their own home by an increasingly familiar Rangers away Europa League display, the Portuguese landed far more blows on the visitors than his team had managed.
Rangers should “calm down”. The tie is “not over”. Fenerbahce were “bad everywhere”. They made “incredible, incredible mistakes”.
The Scottish Premiership side were “as pragmatic as I was expecting”. They defended “basically well” and wasted time with “20 injuries”. Goalkeeper Jack Butland “took 30 seconds every time he had the ball in his hands”.
But despite that, Mourinho said, this 3-1 loss in Istanbul was “a good result” because the defeat “could have been bigger”.
He was referring to the fact Rangers had two Cyriel Dessers goals ruled out for offside after VAR reviews as the hosts struggled to quell their threat on the break.
Ultimately, Barry Ferguson’s side had to settle for a Vaclav Cerny double to add to Dessers’ early opener.
But, despite their domestic troubles, they are still well placed to set up a last-eight tie with either Roma or Athletic Bilbao. Not that Mourinho agrees, of course.
“For me, I have to say that we deserved a punishment of this result,” he said. “But if someone wants to ask me if it’s over, no, I don’t think it’s over.
“The only thing I tell this is don’t celebrate too much, because there is a second match to play, that’s my only advice.
“If they celebrate after the second match I will congratulate them but now calm down because it’s not over.”
(BBC Sports)
