Jose Mourinho may be a bad loser, but he can also be a good winner when the time suits.
The Fenerbahce coach impressively led his side to the final stage of Champions League qualifying, overcoming a 2-1 deficit agsinst Feyenoord in style in Turkey.
Fener won an enthralling encounter 5-2, and Mourinho kept his winning run over Feyenoord alive.
In the past three years he’s faced the Eredivisie giants five times, beating them in the Conference League final with Roma in 2022 and then Europa League quarter-finals again with Roma in 2023.
Before that Mourinho also beat them with Manchester United, but on each two-legged occasion he’s had to come from behind.
Asked if he had their number post-match, he said: “The fact that I’m beating Feyenoord again is a coincidence in my opinion: I never win in Rotterdam, but in the second matches we always turn things around.
“But I don’t see any connection there. Feyenoord always has good teams with very good coaches. It’s a club with a good philosophy and excellent scouting.
“What made the difference today, in my opinion, was the crowd.
“We were actually 3-1 down when Feyenoord scored, but even then they kept supporting us. It was an open game with plenty of chances for both sides.
“Shortly before we made it 3-1, Feyenoord had a great opportunity. That was a crucial moment in my opinion.
“I think we deserved to win. Feyenoord has a completely different style of play, mainly because they have a different type of footballer.
“We have to rely on our physically strong attackers, who are very dangerous with their speed and power. They struggled with that.”
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