Mourinho: I believe we will advance with the support of our fans

Fenerbahçe was defeated 2-1 by Feyenoord in the Netherlands in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round. Manager Jose Mourinho made statements after the match. Evaluating the game, Mourinho said, "As I mentioned yesterday and before, I see the chances as 50-50. We are currently at halftime, and we are trailing 2-1 at the break. I think we were much better today, especially in the second half, but as I said, we are only at the halfway point of the tie."

Of course, we are sad about the result because we were very, very good in the second half. We dominated the game. We didn't give the opponent any chances, and our opponent faced a lot of difficulties. We actually found the 1-1 equalizer, but then a situation occurred that shouldn't have happened.

I told my players in the dressing room: If this were a Turkish League match, this result would be dramatic. Because you shouldn't lose points in the last minute like this, but since this is a European qualifying match, the situation is not that dramatic. Because we will play the second half of this tie at home, and we have a week to prepare for this match. This period will be good for us so that those who joined the team late can get ready for this game. I think my team performed well today. They showed good character on the pitch and were tactically sound. If I compare it to the match we played against Lille last year, my team today was much more solid and much more prepared. We will play the second leg at our stadium, and I believe we will advance with the support of our fans," he said.

"I THINK THE TEAM PERFORMED VERY WELL IN THE SECOND HALF"

Regarding the substitutions and the play in the second half, the Portuguese coach concluded his remarks by saying, "It wasn't actually a change of plan. The team's performance was good in the last 10-15 minutes of the first half. The team's performance was also good at the beginning of the second half before the substitutions. Nelson is a wonderful and high-quality footballer. He is a player with very good attributes, especially in carrying the ball to the front zone and cutting inside. Jhon is not in his best physical condition, but his presence always provides a very dynamic and useful game. I think the team performed very well in the second half."