UCLQ: Mourinho lauds Osayi-Samuel, teammates display despite Fenerbache exit

By Saheed Afolabi 

Fenerbache gaffer, Jose Mourinho has praised his side following their exit from the UEFA Champions League qualifying stage.

Lille had a 2-1 first leg advantage in France and forced the Yellow Canaries to a 1-1 draw in the second leg to eliminate the Turkish giant 3-2 on aggregate.

Mourinho wasn’t impressed with the penalty awarded to Lille which changed the tides of the game.

He praised his players for their commitment to win the encounter despite harsh circumstances which went against them.

“It’s better if I don’t talk about the penalty. Because looking at other things that have happened to me recently, only the referee knows why it was a penalty, and the VAR knows. I’m proud of my team,” Mourinho was quoted by Kontraspor.

“I am an honest person. I told my players that I was proud of them, they did everything to win. We adapted to many conditions during the match, two balls hit the post, we had many opportunities. One team deserved to win but the other team advanced.”

The Yellow Canaries will head to the Europa League after their elimination from the UEFA Champions League.

Fenerbache will face Goztepe in their next match in the Turkish Super Lig on Saturday, August 17 at the Gursel Aksel Stadium.