José Mourinho’s Fenerbahce, having barely secured a place in the Europa League knockout playoff round, is already on the verge of qualifying for the round of 16.
The Turkish side delivered a commanding performance to defeat Anderlecht 3-0, giving them a significant advantage ahead of next week’s second leg in Belgium.
Two of Mourinho’s former teams, Porto and Roma, were set to clash later on Thursday in the same competition.
Fenerbahce’s path to the playoffs was anything but straightforward, finishing 24th in the new 36-team format, claiming the final qualification spot on a goal difference tiebreaker.
The breakthrough came in the 11th minute when Anderlecht failed to clear a corner.
The ball was played back into the area, where Yusuf Akçiçek flicked it on for Dusan Tadic to head home.
Just before halftime, Edin Dzeko made it 2-0 after Filip Kostic’s determined run down the left.
Although his initial shot was blocked by Lucas Hey, Dzeko pounced on the rebound and fired into the net.
Youssef En-Nesyri sealed the win with a powerful header in the 57th minute, and Fenerbahce could have further extended its lead.
Yusuf Akçiçek came close to scoring his first career goal, but his header was deflected onto the post. Earlier, the 19-year-old had registered his first-ever assist for Tadic’s opener.
In another game, Ajax secured a 2-0 win over Union Saint-Gilloise. Sixteen-year-old Jorthy Mokio etched his name in history by scoring the second goal in the 71st minute.
After a corner was partially cleared, the Belgium Under-21 international struck a stunning volley from the edge of the area, notching his first senior goal for Ajax.
According to UEFA, Mokio, at 16 years and 350 days, became the youngest player ever to score in a Europa League knockout match.
Christian Rasmussen had earlier opened the scoring in the 59th minute.
Meanwhile, Real Sociedad earned a 2-1 victory at Midtjylland, and Ferencvaros edged Viktoria Plzen 1-0.
