Jose Mourinho has asserted that Fenerbahce was “the better side by far” in their Europa League clash with Rangers, despite his team’s elimination on penalties.
He also raised concerns about three denied penalty appeals, questioning whether they were influenced by his past criticism of officiating.
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Mourinho, who previously labeled referee Anthony Taylor “a disgrace” after Roma’s Europa League final loss to Sevilla, found himself embroiled in another controversial European night.
This time, Fenerbahce’s 2-0 victory at Ibrox leveled the aggregate score at 3-3, leading to a penalty shootout where Rangers prevailed.
“The only thing for me is that I hope everything that’s happened to me in European competitions is not a consequence of the Budapest final and I hope it’s just random,” Mourinho stated.
“Since that final, since my suspension, the things that happened to us – we didn’t play Champions League because of a penalty on 120th-minute that only the fourth official saw.
“Today, we come here and the VAR is considered one of the best VARs. He didn’t see one of three penalties. I just hope it’s random. I paid for the suspension and I hope that it’s over. I pray that this is just bad luck.”
Mourinho contrasted the “calm” demeanor of the fourth official with the referee’s, Espen Eskas, saying his bench struggled to control their reactions to decisions seen on their laptops.
Despite Rangers’ first-leg victory and strong home record against Turkish teams, Fenerbahce’s performance, highlighted by Sebastian Szymanski’s two goals, forced extra time and penalties. Mourinho felt his team dominated the match.
“We deserved to win over 90 minutes, we deserved to win after 120 minutes, we were the best team by far,” Mourinho said.
“In the first match, I was honest and I had enough to say we made mistakes, we deserved to lose, but in this match I also have to be honest and say we were the best team by far. The ref and the VAR decided that we should go to penalties.”
He also commented on Rangers’ upcoming quarter-final against Athletic Bilbao, noting their strength and his own experience against them.
“In football everything is possible, but I played against Bilbao in the group stage,” he said.
“Bilbao is a stronger team and the final is in Bilbao. I don’t know what happened to Roma, but after 10 minutes, Roma were playing with 10 men. So I think, if Rangers do it against Bilbao, it will be phenomenal. Congratulations to Rangers, but I think my team deserves everything from me. I’m proud of them.”
