Mourinho’s getting sillier: "Europa League is better for us"

Fenerbahce’s Champions League dream has come to an end. The Turkish giants were knocked out in the play-off round after a 1-0 defeat to Benfica in Lisbon, losing the tie by the slimmest of margins and dropping into the UEFA Europa League.

For Jose Mourinho, the night brought another setback in what has been a difficult start to his tenure in Istanbul. Once hailed as the “Special One,” the Portuguese manager now finds himself under increasing pressure as poor results continue to pile up.

Speaking after the match, Mourinho admitted his side had been second-best: “I think the stronger side won. We weren’t good; we lost too many duels. We couldn’t cope with their rhythm. Even when Benfica went down to ten men, they controlled the game. Honestly, they deserved it with the way they played in the first half.”

The turning points came with Talisca’s red card and Semedo’s injury, moments Mourinho acknowledged had disrupted Fenerbahce’s momentum. Still, he refused to blame those incidents entirely for the loss, noting that across both legs, Benfica were simply more clinical.

Despite the disappointment, Mourinho turned his focus toward the Europa League, insisting that the club could still salvage something from the season: “If we were in the Champions League, we would probably have played eight matches. But in the Europa League, we can go all the way to the final.”

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Yet for Fenerbahce supporters, the rhetoric will feel hollow. This was supposed to be the year the club finally broke back into Europe’s elite competition. Instead, they must settle for another campaign in the Europa League — and questions continue to grow about whether Mourinho can deliver the success his name once guaranteed.