Mourinho refuses to criticise players as derby defeat sees Fenerbahçe lose ground in Türkiye
José Mourinho’s Fenerbahçe saw their recent run of good form come to an end this weekend, losing 1-0 away to out-of-form Beşiktaş in the Istanbul derby.
There was a degree of fortune about Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s 73rd-minute winner, with the Englishman’s attempted cross evading everyone before nestling in the far corner, but the result is costly for Mourinho’s side in their attempts to compete with Galatasaray in the Super Lig.
Champions Gala responded with an impressive 3-2 win at Sivasspor on Sunday despite being down to ten men thanks to an early red card. The gap between the rivals at the top of the table increased to six points, but Mourinho was unwilling to condemn his players as their five-match winning run came to an end.
“First of all, I think it was a good game,” Mourinho began in his post-match media duties. “There wasn’t always quality at all times, but it was a good game. The young referee showed good game management, without giving constant yellow cards.
“Although my team wasn’t perfect on the pitch, I think they were the better team. They had a clear chance, which Livakovic saved, and scored a goal from a move. We hit two posts, a move where Dzeko was one-on-one with the goalkeeper and the ball almost went over the line. So I think we deserved at least a draw.
“If we had scored first, the game would have been under our control. They also created danger, they have good players on the counter-attack, but I can’t criticise my players for their attitude. We tried to do our best to win, but that’s football, unfortunately. I congratulate Besiktas and the referee.
“All points are very important. We are still in the fight for the championship and we came here to win. We did everything we could while the game was 0-0, with an attacking game and we didn’t try to protect the result. We did everything we could to win the game and I want to say this in all honesty: I think the team that did the most to win lost today.”
Beşiktaş, who were without a win in four matches coming into the clash, had both Rafa and Gedson Fernandes in the line-up, while João Mário was an unused substitute. Former Benfica midfielder Gedson was sent off in stoppage time for dissent which earned him a second yellow card.
By @SeanGillen9
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