Former Premier League star, Edin Dzeko helped Jose Mourinho secure a 4-3 win in his first game as Fenerbahce’s manager.
In this Champions League qualifying match against Swiss side Lugano, Fenerbahce initially fell behind after a mistake allowed Ayman El Wafi to score early.
Dzeko equalized with a penalty just before halftime and then put Fenerbahce ahead shortly after the break.
Lugano tied the game in the 64th minute, but Dzeko completed his hat-trick three minutes later.
Ferdi Kadioglu added a fourth goal for Fenerbahce, while Milton Valenzuela scored a late goal for Lugano.
Speaking post-match, Jose Mourinho criticized the artificial pitch, saying it made play difficult and was unsuitable for a Champions League match.
Mourinho slammed UEFA saying: “I didn’t want to talk about it before the match because we didn’t want to make an excuse.
“It was difficult to play the match on plastic, synthetic ground. The players had a hard time in this sense.
“They had a hard time dribbling, we had difficulties with the flow of the ball. Therefore, it was difficult to adapt.
“It is unacceptable to play on this pitch, on this ground. I think it is unacceptable for a Champions League match to be played on such a pitch.
“I can’t fathom why UEFA permits Champions League matches on synthetic surfaces. It’s also perplexing why a good team like Lugano would choose to play on such a pitch. It wasn’t ideal for the game.”
Despite Dzeko’s strong performance, Mourinho expressed concern about his team’s defensive issues, noting they conceded three goals, including one from a set piece and another he felt was due to unfair play by Lugano.
“A seven-goal game is thrilling for the fans, but from a coaching perspective, conceding three goals is problematic,” he said.
“I didn’t like conceding a goal from a set piece, the second goal was an easy shot and the third was not fair play, they should have given us the ball and they didn’t.”
Fenerbahce will play the second leg against Lugano on Tuesday July 30 at Sukru Saracoglu Stadium.
If they advance, Jose Mourinho still have to get through additional qualifying rounds to reach the Champions League group stage.
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