Fenerbahce manager José Mourinho stirred the pot after his side’s dominant 3-1 victory over Sivasspor in the Turkish Super Lig on Sunday, taking a subtle swipe at Victor Osimhen, Galatasaray’s top scorer.
In the match, Fenerbahce continued their push for the Super Lig title with goals from Anderson Talisca and a second-half double from Dušan Tadić.
The victory secured their 22nd win of the season, keeping them just behind Galatasaray in the standings with 71 points three points adrift of their rivals.
While Youssef En-Nesyri, Fenerbahce’s leading scorer with 26 goals in all competitions, entered the game in the final 10 minutes to replace Edin Džeko, Mourinho used his post-match comments to make a bold statement regarding his striker’s form and to seemingly aim a dig at Osimhen.
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Speaking about En-Nesyri’s performance, Mourinho was quick to highlight that all of the Moroccan forward’s goals have come from open play, without the help of a penalty.
“He has scored 26 goals without taking penalties,” Mourinho said after the match, as reported by GZT.
This remark appeared to be a veiled jab at Osimhen, who has netted 21 goals in the league this season, but six of those have come from the penalty spot a fact that Mourinho subtly pointed out in his defense of En-Nesyri.
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Mourinho also elaborated on En-Nesyri’s recent struggles, which had seen him start on the bench in recent matches. The Fenerbahce boss explained that the forward’s dip in form was partly due to fasting during Ramadan. However, with Ramadan now over, Mourinho feels En-Nesyri is back to his best.
“He went through a difficult period during Ramadan, but now he is regaining his strength. He showed he is back. He will be very important for us in the last seven matches,” Mourinho added.
Galatasaray remain top of the table with 74 points, the title race between the two Istanbul clubs is heating up.
Mourinho’s comments have only added fuel to the fire of the already intense rivalry between Fenerbahce and Galatasaray as the season enters its final stretch.
