Jose Mourinho misses the Champions League and goes around
José Mourinho suffers first setback as Fenerbahçe Istanbul coach. The traditional club crashes out of the Champions League qualifiers in dramatic fashion. Afterwards, he turns on his complaining machine. Meanwhile, a former BVB keeper gets a rude awakening in Bulgaria.
Star football coach José Mourinho will have to wait another season to return to the Champions League. His new club, Fenerbahçe Istanbul, suffered a dramatic defeat to French Ligue 1 side OSC Lille in the third round of the Champions League qualifiers, missing out on the play-off round. They lost 1-2 in the first leg in France, followed by a 1-1 (1-0, 0-0) draw in the return leg after extra time.
It was only a late own goal by Lille defender Bafode Diakite (90.+1) that kept Mourinho's team in the game, sending it into extra time. There, Jonathan David (118.) missed a penalty for Lille that could have knocked Fenerbahce out, but the referee only awarded it after consulting the VAR. Earlier, Lille defender Aissa Mandi (109.) was sent off after a scuffle.
Goal fest in Bulgaria
Mourinho took over from Ismail Kartal at the start of July, despite Kartal's impressive 99-point season last year, which only secured second place behind city rivals Galatasaray. Mourinho is now tasked with leading the club to its first title since 2014. On the European stage, he'll have to settle for the Europa League once again. After the game, Mourinho was in fine form, snapping at a journalist. "Did you see the game? Do I need to explain it to you?", he replied when asked about his team's mistakes.
Meanwhile, Austrian side RB Salzburg advanced to the play-offs with a 3-3 (2-1) draw against Twente Enschede after a 2-1 win in the first leg. In the play-offs, they'll face Dynamo Kyiv, who beat Glasgow Rangers 2-0 (0:0) in Scotland after a 1-1 draw in the first leg.
Former Dortmund backup goalkeeper Hendrik Bonmann, who warmed the bench between 2013 and 2017, had a wild ride in the Bulgarian team Ludogorez Rasgrad's goal. After a 2-1 win in the first leg against Qarabağ Ağdam and a 2-1 lead just before halftime, the Bulgarians seemed assured of their place in the play-offs. But then they collapsed. Two goals in the first half's added time and four more in extra time led to a humiliating 2-7 defeat and elimination for the team from the native Essen-born keeper.
Despite the disappointing Champions League exit, Jose Mourinho remains determined to lead Fenerbahce Istanbul to their first title since 2014 in the domestic league. Meanwhile, Hendrik Bonmann, the former Dortmund goalkeeper, endured a grueling experience as Ludogorez Rasgrad crashed out of Europa League qualifiers, with Fenerbahce Istanbul being his new club's rival in the competition.
