Jose Mourinho inspires Champions League comeback as Rangers progress despite defeat

In partnership with

Evening Standard

·12 août 2025

Jose Mourinho inspires Champions League comeback as Rangers progress despite defeat

The ‘special one’ is on course to manage in the league phase of the Champions League

Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce surged into the Champions League qualifying playoffs by overturning a two-goal deficit on Tuesday against Robin van Persie’s Feyenoord.

Vidéos OneFootball

Fenerbahce had lost 2-1 in the Netherlands last week and fell further behind in the second leg of the third qualifying round clash when Feyenoord defender Tsuyoshi Watanabe scored the opener in the 41st minute.

Mourinho's team rallied quickly with two goals before halftime — the second by Colombia forward Jhon Duran on a season-long loan from Saudi club Al Nassr — on the way to a 5-2 win Tuesday. Fenerbahce advanced 6-4 on aggregate.

Fenerbahce will host Benfica or Nice in the first leg of the playoff round next week with a place in the lucrative 36-team league phase at stake.

Rangers advanced to the playoffs 4-2 on aggregate against Viktoria Plzen despite a 2-1 loss Tuesday in the Czech Republic.

The Scottish club will host the first leg of its playoff next week against Club Brugge or Salzburg.

Russian-owned Pafos, the champion of Cyprus, beat Dynamo Kyiv of Ukraine 2-0 to advance 3-0 on aggregate.

Copenhagen beat its near neighbor Malmo 5-0, one week after a scoreless draw on the other side of the Oresund Bridge that connects Denmark and Sweden. Copenhagen's reward is a two-legged playoff against Swiss champion Basel.