Fenerbahce boss Jose Mourinho has praised Rangers star Cyriel Dessers for performing like the best player in the world.
Jose Mourinho has heaped praise on Rangers striker Cyriel Dessers following his outstanding performance in the UEFA Europa League.
Dessers, 30, made a blistering start, scoring the opening goal within seven minutes for Rangers at the Ülker Stadyumu Fenerbahçe.
The Nigerian striker continued to impress, providing the assist for Rangers' second goal and playing a crucial role in their third.
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20:52 - 06.03.2025
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His outstanding display left Mourinho awestruck.
"Dessers is a good player, but today he looked like the best player in the world, but he is not," Mourinho said, as reported by Rangers Review.
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The former Chelsea boss also commended Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland for his exceptional saves. Mourinho acknowledged that his team's performance was subpar but refused to criticize the referee, instead focusing on the areas where Fenerbahce fell short.
"I know that Butland makes three fantastic saves. I know that there is, I think, a penalty, but to speak about the referee after this performance,
I don’t think it’s ethical. Our performance was bad overall. The chances we had to score, we didn’t. The dynamic in midfield was not good. We lost lots of duels. Our passing was not fast."
The return leg is scheduled for next Thursday at the Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow,