Fenerbahce were given a scare in Jose Mourinho’s first match in charge as they edged past Swiss outfit Lugano 4-3 in the first leg of their Champions League qualifier on Tuesday night.
Mourinho took his place in the dugout for the first time since his appointment last month, but watched his side make a nightmare start as they fell behind inside four minutes to a goal from Ayman El Wafi.
Former Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko took centre stage after that, though, scoring in the space of a minute either side to turn the tie in Fenerbahce’s favour.
Lugano drew level in the 64th minute through Uran Bislimi, but Dzeko completed his hat-trick three minutes later and Ferdi Kadioglu then gave the Turkish team some breathing space.
Milton Valenzuela pulled a goal back deep into stoppage time, but Fenerbahce managed to hold on to ensure Mourinho got off to a winning start.
Jose Mourinho started life at Fenerbahce with a win on Tuesday night
His side were made to work for their victory as they conceded three goals in Switzerland
The return leg is due to take place next Tuesday in Turkey, with Fenerbahce holding the advantage as they look to book their place in the group stages of the Champions League.
Tuesday’s match marked Mourinho’s first time back on the touchline since he was sacked by Roma in January.
He may have hoped for a more comfortable start at his new club, but his team got dragged into a gripping contest before they finally prevailed.
However, he refused to criticise his players, instead reflecting on the entertaining nature of the match as he told reporters afterwards: ‘It was a game with seven goals. People like goals.’
Mourinho was critical of the condition of the pitch when he spoke to reporters after the game
But he was not completely satisfied with the evening, as he took aim at the condition of the pitch after UEFA moved the game to Thun – 135 miles from Lugano – having deemed the home team’s regular stadium unsuitable for a Champions League qualifier.
‘Honestly I don’t understand why UEFA allow Champions League games on a plastic pitch,’ Mourinho added.
His team just about came out on top, though, and head into next week’s return leg in a strong position to continue their European journey.