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Fenerbahçe overturn first-leg deficit to knock Feyenoord out of Champions League qualifiers

José Mourinho’s Fenerbahce is one round away from returning to the Champions League for the first time in 17 years.

The “Special One” surged into the Champions League qualifying playoffs by overturning a two-goal deficit in a 5-2 qualifying round win against Robin van Persie’s Feyenoord.

Fenerbahçe had lost 2-1 in the Netherlands last week and fell further behind when the Feyenoord defender Tsuyoshi Watanabe scored in the 41st minute.

Mourinho’s players replied with two goals in quick succession before half-time. Archie Brown netted the opener for the Turkish side, with the second by the Colombian forward Jhon Durán, on a season-long loan from the Saudi club Al Nassr.

The former Manchester United midfielder Fred gave the Yellow Canaries the lead early in the second half, and Youssef En-Nesyri got the fourth goal for Fenerbahçe in the closing stages of the match.

However, the visitors got a lifeline when defender Watanabe got his second of the night and reduced the deficit in the 89th minute, but Anderson Talisca killed the game with his goal in the dying minutes of the match.

Fenerbahçe went through 6-4 on aggregate and will face Benfica, with a place in the 36-team league phase at stake.

Mourinho will be hosting a familiar opponent, the club that handed him his first head coach job 25 years ago.

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