- Jose Mourinho took charge of his first match for Fenerbahce on Tuesday
- His team was tested by Lugano but still managed to secure a victory
- Mourinho criticised UEFA for playing the match on an artificial turf pitch
Jose Mourinho has hit out at UEFA after his Fenerbahce side suffered a shock in his first match as coach, beating Swiss side Lugano 4-3 in their first leg of a Champions League qualifier on Tuesday night.
Former Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko was the hero for Fenerbahce with his hat-trick, but Mourinho was furious with UEFA after the governing body moved the match to Thun, 217 kilometres from Lugano, because the home side’s permanent stadium was not suitable for a Champions League qualifier.
That meant the match was played on an artificial turf pitch, which Mourinho said was a ‘challenge’ for his team.
“We tried not to make excuses before the game, but it is a challenge to play good football on an artificial pitch,” he said.
“The ball doesn’t move as it should, players have trouble dribbling and the pace of the game slows down considerably. I don’t understand why UEFA allows Champions League matches on synthetic surfaces.
Jose Mourinho hit out at UEFA for making his Fenerbahce team play on an artificial turf pitch
Despite the ‘challenging’ circumstances, Mourinho started his life at Fenerbahce with a win
Edin Dzeko scored a hat-trick in Fenerbahce’s 4-3 win in their Champions League qualifier
‘It’s also baffling why a good team like Lugano would choose to play on such a pitch. It wasn’t ideal for the game.’
Mourinho took his first seat in the dugout since being sacked by Roma in January, but saw his team endure a nightmare start as they fell behind to an Ayman El Wafi goal within four minutes.
However, Dzeko then took the lead role and scored on both sides within a minute, turning the score in Fenerbahçe’s favour.
Lugano equalised in the 64th minute through Uran Bislimi, but Dzeko completed his hat-trick three minutes later and Ferdi Kadioglu gave the Turkish side some breathing space.
Milton Valenzuela scored again deep into injury time, but Fenerbahce managed to keep the goal out and ensured Mourinho got off to a winning start.
The return leg will take place next Tuesday in Turkey. Fenerbahce has the advantage and is trying to secure a place in the group stage of the Champions League.
Mourinho had hoped for a more comfortable start at his new club, but his team were dragged into a tense battle before eventually claiming victory.
Mourinho was critical of his team’s defence as they conceded three goals
The Portuguese coach criticized his team’s defense during his post-match press conference, also accusing Lugano of unsportsmanlike conduct for not giving the ball back for the third goal after play had been stopped to allow a player to receive treatment.
“A game with seven goals is exciting for the fans, but from a manager’s perspective it is problematic to concede three goals,” Mourinho said.
“I didn’t like conceding a goal from a set piece. The second goal was an easy shot and the third was not fair play. They should have given us the ball but they didn’t.”
Fenerbahce had to work hard to win, but ultimately emerged victorious and go into next week’s return leg in a strong position to continue their European journey.
