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Jose Mourinho’s Disappointment as Fenerbahce’s Champions League Hopes Vanish

Jose Mourinho’s aspirations of steering Fenerbahce into the transformed Champions League came to an end on Tuesday after the Turkish team suffered a setback in the third qualifying round at the hands of Lille.

Lille emerged victorious with an aggregate score of 3-2. Canadian frontman Jonathan David sealed a 1-1 draw in extra time after converting a penalty in the 118th minute.

Fenerbahce managed to score an equalizer in the dying moments of the second half through Bafodé Diakité’s own goal, leveling the score at 1-0 in Istanbul and forcing the game into extra time. However, Lille had already secured a 2-1 advantage from the first leg.

Mourinho’s hopes of adding to his esteemed tally of two Champions League titles were shattered for this season. His mission was to lead Fenerbahce to their first Turkish league triumph since 2014 and guide them into the newly expanded 36-team group stage of the Champions League, a competition he conquered with Porto in 2004 and Inter Milan in 2010.

Fenerbahce, who earned a 1-0 victory over Adana Demispor in their Turkish Super Lig opening match on Saturday, will now be relegated to the Europa League, the second-tier European club competition.

In the previous season, Mourinho led his former club Roma to the Europa League final, where they narrowly lost to Sevilla in a penalty shootout.

This report incorporates information from The Associated Press.