Jose Mourinho is on the verge of guiding Fenerbahce back into the UEFA Champions League for the first time in 17 years.
Fenerbahce reached the Champions League qualifying playoffs after overturning a two-goal aggregate deficit with a 5-2 victory over Feyenoord, coached by Robin van Persie, on Tuesday. The Turkish side advanced 6-4 on aggregate and will now face Benfica — where Mourinho began his managerial career 25 years ago — for a spot in the 36-team league stage.
The first leg will be in Istanbul next Wednesday, with the return match scheduled for Aug. 27 at Lisbon’s Stadium of Light, where Mourinho had a brief stint as Benfica head coach in 2000. Benfica progressed after defeating Nice 2-0 at home, matching their first-leg victory in France.
Fenerbahce last appeared in the Champions League group stage in 2008-09. Their rival, Galatasaray, has already secured a place in the main draw as Turkish league champions.
After losing 2-1 in the Netherlands last week and falling behind again when Feyenoord’s Tsuyoshi Watanabe scored in the 41st minute, Mourinho’s side quickly responded with two goals before halftime, including one from Colombian forward Jhon Durán, on loan from Al Nassr. Former Manchester United midfielder Fred extended the lead early in the second half, and Talisca, another former Al Nassr teammate of Cristiano Ronaldo, completed the scoring.
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Other playoff developments included Rangers advancing 4-2 on aggregate against Viktoria Plzen despite a 2-1 loss in the Czech Republic. Rangers will host Club Brugge next week, who beat Salzburg 3-2 in the second leg to advance 4-2 on aggregate. Salzburg, which participated in the FIFA Club World Cup six weeks ago, will miss out on the Champions League for the first time in seven seasons.
Russian-owned Pafos advanced 3-0 on aggregate over Dynamo Kyiv and will face Red Star Belgrade, who beat Lech Poznan 4-2. Copenhagen defeated Malmo 5-0, setting up a playoff against Swiss champions Basel. Qarabag routed North Macedonia’s Shkendija 5-1, earning a playoff against Ferencvaros, while Kazakhstan’s Kairat Almaty won a penalty shootout against Slovan Bratislava and will play Celtic in the playoff.
Source: Agency