Fenerbahce were at a disadvantage after losing 1-3 at home in the first leg. But in the second leg, Jose Mourinho 's team played well and created a surprise despite playing away.

Szymanski's double (in the 45th and 73rd minutes) helped Fenerbahce win 2-0, thereby leveling the aggregate score at 3-3. The score remained the same until the end of 90 minutes and then into extra time, forcing the two teams to enter a penalty shootout.

Here, Mourinho had to taste the bitterness when his players missed 3 shots. Rangers only missed 1 shot and won 3-2 on penalties. Fenerbahce was eliminated despite winning in regular time.

After the match, coach Jose Mourinho did not focus on the cause of the defeat but turned to criticize the main referee Espen Eskes.

He said Fenerbahce had to face many unfavorable decisions, which was why they lost the penalty shootout.

The Portuguese tactician said: "We were the better team, not just a little bit, but a lot. In the first leg, we made mistakes and deserved to lose. But this match, honestly, we were superior to our opponents.

It was the referee and VAR who took the game to penalties. In 120 minutes, we deserved 3 penalties. In the shootout, we missed 3 and Rangers went through. I was very sad because I dreamed of winning and reaching the final.

The fourth official is a nice guy, not as arrogant as the main referee. He keeps our bench calm. I was very calm. I hope what happened to me today is not a consequence of the Budapest final."

"The Budapest Final" is Mourinho's way of mocking the referee. That was when he and his former team AS Roma lost to Sevilla in the 2023 Europa League final, also on penalties. After the match, Mr. Mourinho made very harsh statements to the main referee Anthony Taylor. After that, he even went to the bus to scold this referee.

The incident caused Mourinho to receive a 4-match ban from the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).