Mourinho Advances in Europa League as Fenerbahce Defeats Anderlecht to Secure Last 16 Spot

Fenerbahçe secured their position in the last 16 of the UEFA Europa League (UEL) following an exhilarating 2-2 draw with RSC Anderlecht, progressing 5-2 on aggregate. This result also extended José Mourinho’s team’s unbeaten streak to an impressive 15 matches across all competitions (W11, D4).

With a daunting three-goal deficit from last week’s heavy first-leg defeat in Istanbul, Anderlecht understood that they needed a strong start against their Turkish rivals.

However, it was Fenerbahçe who burst out of the blocks, scoring within four minutes as Edin Džeko capitalised on a defensive error from Lucas Hey to selflessly set up Youssef En-Nesyri for a straightforward finish from close range.

The match was briefly suspended for 20 minutes due to crowd disturbances, and upon resuming, the hosts responded perfectly when İrfan Eğribayat’s poorly timed kick was seized upon by Luis Vázquez, who tapped into an empty net.

With new-found confidence, Anderlecht sought a second goal before halftime, yet Eğribayat redeemed himself by making smart saves against attempts from Theo Leoni and César Huerta, keeping the score level for the night.

The Belgian side carried their energy into the second half, but wasted a golden opportunity to narrow the gap when Ali Maamar shot wide from a promising position in the box.

Nonetheless, Anderlecht’s persistence paid off in the 55th minute when Vázquez scored his second of the match, finishing from Thorgan Hazard’s cutback.

However, any hopes of an extraordinary comeback were quickly dashed when Fenerbahçe reinstated their three-goal advantage through Yusuf Akçiçek, who headed back across goal into the bottom corner from a Milan Škriniar delivery.

With that goal, the tie was effectively settled, as despite Leander Dendoncker coming close with a long-range free-kick, the visitors easily navigated the closing moments to maintain their unbeaten head-to-head record against Anderlecht, extending it to six matches (W4, D2), and securing their place in Friday’s draw.