Porto draw with Roma as Fenerbahce win in Europa League play-offs
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Fenerbahce's Youssef En-Nesyri celebrates scoring their third goal with Milan Skriniar.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
PARIS – Jose Mourinho is keeping his feet on the ground despite his Fenerbahce side taking a big step towards the last 16 of the Europa League with a 3-0 home win over Anderlecht on Feb 13.
His former teams Porto and Roma drew 1-1 in the same stage of the competition – the first leg of the play-offs.
Zeki Celik gave 2023 runners-up Roma the lead in first-half stoppage time in Portugal, but Porto defender Francisco Moura’s deflected strike ensured the teams will head to Italy next week with the tie finely poised.
In Turkey, former Premier League duo Dusan Tadic and Edin Dzeko scored in the first half for Fenerbahce before Morocco international Youssef En-Nesyri headed in a third to give them full control.
Mourinho won the Europa League, then known as the Uefa Cup, with Porto in 2003, and again with Manchester United in 2017, besides leading Roma to the final two years ago.
“We played very well, but I can’t say a good result. We need to advance to the next round for this to be a good result,” said the 62-year-old Portuguese.
“Normally, of course, when you are leading 3-0, you are happy, but there is a second leg. Everything is still out there.”
In other matches, Real Sociedad triumphed 2-1 at Midtjylland after a Brais Mendez penalty and a Takefusa Kubo strike saw them past the Danish champions, who pulled one back through Adam Buksa.
The winners will play United or another of Mourinho’s former teams, Tottenham Hotspur, in the last 16.
Ajax Amsterdam took charge of their tie against Belgian outfit Union Saint-Gilloise with a 2-0 victory in Brussels, with goals coming from Christian Rasmussen and Jorthy Mokio.
Israel’s Mohammad Abu Fani struck the only goal in Budapest as Ferencvaros beat Viktoria Plzen 1-0.
AZ Alkmaar battered Galatasaray 4-1 with Sven Mijnans, Troy Parrott, Jordy Clasie and David Moller Wolfe all on target. Roland Sallai had equalised for visitors Galatasaray, who toiled for much of the second half with 10 men after Kaan Ayhan was dismissed.
In the Uefa Conference League, Shamrock Rovers’ Michael Noonan became the second-youngest scorer in Uefa club competition history after he earned his side a 1-0 win in the first leg of their play-off at Norway’s Molde.
Noonan, aged 16 years and 197 days, scored the winner off a Dylan Watts cross in the 57th minute as the visitors capitalised on their man advantage after Molde’s Valdemar Lund received a red card just before the break.
The Irish striker remains behind Ghanaian record holder Nii Lamptey, who was 97 days younger when he scored for Anderlecht in the Uefa Cup in 1991. But Noonan is the youngest Conference League scorer, surpassing Hearts’ 17-year-old James Wilson.
“If you’ve watched him, which I have from a young age from 10 or 11, he scores goals,” said Shamrock coach Stephen Bradley.
“You need to have the attitude and character to go with that, and he does. He just lives, breathes and sleeps football.” AFP
