Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce stormed into the UEFA Champions League playoff round with a stunning 5-2 victory over Feyenoord in Istanbul, overturning a first-leg deficit to advance 6-4 on aggregate.
Trailing 2-1 from the first leg and falling further behind when Tsuyoshi Watanabe scored for Robin van Persie’s Feyenoord in the 41st minute, the Turkish side responded with two quick goals before halftime including one from Colombian striker Jhon Duran, on loan from Al Nassr.
Mourinho’s men dominated after the break, adding three more goals to seal their place in the playoffs, where they will face either Benfica or Nice for a spot in the lucrative 36-team league phase.
Elsewhere, Rangers progressed despite a 2-1 defeat to Viktoria Plzen in the Czech Republic, winning 4-2 on aggregate, while Cypriot champions Pafos eliminated Dynamo Kyiv 3-0 over two legs. Copenhagen thrashed Malmo 5-0 to set up a playoff tie with Swiss champions Basel.
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The victory marks Fenerbahce’s first advancement in a European double-legged tie after losing the opening match since the 1998/99 season.
