Jose Mourinho’s reign as Fenerbahce manager got off to a rocky start as his side suffered a 2-1 defeat away to Lille in the first leg of their Champions League third-round qualifying tie. The Turkish side now faces a difficult task to overturn the deficit and secure qualification for the play-offs in the return leg at home.
Lille took the lead early on through Tiago Santos, but Irfan Kahveci’s brilliant free-kick in the second half brought Fenerbahce level. However, substitute Edon Zhegrova’s deflected strike in injury time gave the French side the advantage heading into the second leg.
Mourinho, who took charge of Fenerbahce in June and guided them through the second round of qualifying, remained defiant despite the loss. He urged the Fenerbahce fans to create a “yellow wave” at their home stadium, Kadikoy, for the second leg.
Elsewhere in Champions League qualifying, Rangers secured a crucial 1-1 draw away to Dynamo Kyiv thanks to a late equalizer from Cyriel Dessers. Andriy Yarmolenko had opened the scoring for Dynamo in the first half.
The match in Poland was overshadowed by the arrest of two VAR officials for a drunken escapade. Three intoxicated men were detained after removing a road sign in the early hours of Tuesday.
Other matches saw a 2-2 draw between Malmo and PAOK, a 1-1 draw between Steaua Bucharest and Sparta Prague, a 2-0 win for Midtjylland over Ferencvaros, a 2-1 loss for Qarabag at home to Ludogorets, and a 2-1 home victory for Red Bull Salzburg over Twente.
The second leg fixtures will take place on August 13th, with the winners progressing to the play-offs for the Champions League group stage.
