Jose Mourinho slams Jack Butland after Rangers beat Fenerbahce | OneFootball

Jose Mourinho has brutally criticised Rangers after Barry Ferguson’s side won in the UEFA Europa League and has also hammered Jack Butland.

Rangers beat Fenerbahce 3-1 away from home in the first leg of the last-16 tie on Thursday evening.

Rangers took the lead at Ülker Stadyumu Fenerbahçe Şükrü Saracoğlu Spor Kompleksi after just six minutes when Cyriel Dessers pounced on a defensive lapse to squeeze a shot over the line before Caglar Soyuncu could clear the ball.

Alexander Djiku restored parity for Mourinho’s side on the half-hour mark with a superb volley.

However, Rangers regained their one-goal advantage in front of 42,090 fans in the 42nd minute.

Vaclav Cerny played a one-two with Dessers before finishing off the move himself.

Dessers found the back of the net twice in the second half, but on both occasions, he was adjudged to have been offside.

Cerny made it 3-1 to the Scottish Premiership club on 81 minutes when he finished a brilliant counter-attacking move with a cool finish.

Fenerbahce boss Mourinho was not impressed with the way that Rangers played.

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid boss thinks that Rangers were defensive and has also criticised the Gers’ 31-year-old goalkeeper Butland for taking too much time on the ball.

Mourinho told BBC Sport: “I’m not surprised [about Rangers’ performance], if you listen to what I said yesterday I couldn’t be more respectful.

“The previous coach was more about philosophy and I knew Ferguson would be much more pragmatic. He brought five defenders, three midfielders, and two guys in attack on the counter.

“He defended as much as they could and basically well; when they defended bad Butland made fantastic saves and on the counter attack they were dangerous.

“They were pragmatic, they were defensive, and they played on the counter. Every time Jack Butland had the ball he didn’t take the famous six or eight seconds he took thirty seconds every time he had the ball in his hands.”

James Tavernier and Jose Mourinho’s messages about the second leg

The win in Turkey means that Rangers are now in a great position to progress to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League.

A two-goal lead from the first leg played away from home is a brilliant result for any team in Europe.

Rangers will be confident that they will be able to get the job done in the second half, but right-back James Tavernier is not getting carried away.

Tavernier wrote on Instagram after the match: “Only halfway there. The boys were superb this evening against a strong side. We go again next Thursday.

“Big thanks to the travelling fans that made the trip – get home safely.”

Mourinho has also warned Rangers about Fenerbahce’s determination to win the second leg.

The Portuguese boss said: “They had 20 injuries, they were pragmatic as I was expecting and they deserved the victory.

“The only thing I tell this is don’t celebrate too much, because there is a second match to play, that’s my only advice.

“If they celebrate after the second match I will congratulate them but now calm down because it’s not over.”