First setback for José Mourinho in his adventure as Fenerbahçe's coach. The 'Yellow Canaries' will be left wanting to compete in the UEFA Champions League for the 2024-2025 season after failing to overcome LOSC Lille in their qualifying round (2-1) for the group stage of this tournament.
At this point, the Turks experienced a day when they saw two sides of fortune. Why? Speaking of the positive aspect, the Ottomans managed to draw level in the series in the 90+1 minute in a rather unexpected manner, with an own goal by Bafodé Diakité. This unexpected goal revitalized Fenerbahçe's chances in the Champions League.
However, they also had a bitter moment when, towards the end of the match, Jayden Oosterwolde committed an unfortunate handball in the box, which after being reviewed by VAR, resulted in a penalty in favor of the French, converted by Jonathan David for a 1-1 draw that ended 'The Special One's' hopes of returning to the biggest club competition in Europe.
This setback represents a significant blow for a Fenerbahçe that was eager to make a grand return to the UEFA Champions League, a competition they haven't competed in the group stage since the 2008/09 season, and for which they were intensively preparing, even making signings like Youssef En-Nesyri (19.5 M€), Çağlar Söyüncü (8.5 M€), Rade Krunić (3.5 M€), and the loan of Allan Saint-Maximin, likely aiming to have the best possible squad to shine both in the Süper Lig and in European competitions.
Fenerbahçe's Champions League debacle further dims their chances of adding this 'big player' to their squad
Interestingly, this setback could have influenced a possible sale by FC Barcelona this summer. Why? It should be remembered that Fenerbahçe showed a clear interest in signing a prominent midfielder from the Catalan squad: İlkay Gündoğan, who could have been attracted by 'Mou's' new sporting project.
However, this setback has diminished the sporting appeal of the 'Yellow Canaries' for this season, as they will now have to settle for playing in the Europa League, losing the allure of competing in the 'race' for the 'Big Ears'. This setback could hinder their desires to acquire 'Gündo', who expressed his desire to play for FC Barcelona this season, although there was still a glimmer of hope that he might reconsider the option of joining Turkish football in the future.
However, after this setback, Fenerbahçe has lost a clear sporting argument to compete for the German midfielder's signing, who, this season, barring changes, will compete in the UEFA Champions League with the Culés.