Jose Mourinho lashes out at UEFA as Fenerbahce narrowly avoid Champions League humiliation

Jose Mourinho lashed out at UEFA after Fenerbahce narrowly avoided defeat in the Champions League.

Mourinho returned to club management this summer by taking over at Turkish giants Fenerbahce, and on Tuesday he sat in the dugout for his first competitive match.

He oversaw a thrilling 4-3 win away at Swiss side Lugano in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League, with former Manchester City, Roma and Inter Milan striker Edin Dzeko netting a 21-minute hat-trick.

Fenerbahce fell behind in the fourth minute, and were then pegged back after taking the lead when Lugano equalised with 25 minutes left to play.

Mourinho's blushes were spared when Dzeko completed his hat-trick and Turkey star Ferdi Kadioglu added a fourth, although the hosts did pull a goal back in injury-time.

Fenerbahce's slack defensive performance gave Mourinho plenty to think about, but it wasn't just his players he wasn't happy with.

After the match the 61-year-old criticised UEFA for allowing Champions League games to be played on synthetic pitches, as was the case at the Stockhorn Arena in Thun.

"We tried not to make excuses before the match, but playing quality football on a synthetic pitch is a challenge," he said.

"The ball doesn’t move as it should, players struggle to dribble, and the game's pace slows significantly. I can’t fathom why UEFA permits Champions League matches on synthetic surfaces.

Jose Mourinho was not happy with UEFA [Getty]

"It’s also perplexing why a good team like Lugano would choose to play on such a pitch. It wasn’t ideal for the game."

On his side's performance, Mourinho said: "A seven-goal game is thrilling for the fans, but from a coaching perspective, conceding three goals is problematic.

"I didn't like conceding a goal from a set piece, the second goal was an easy shot and the third was not fair play, they should have given us the ball and they didn't."

Fenerbahce must now finish the job when Lugano visit the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium in Istanbul for the second leg on July 30.

"I’m looking forward to a full stadium next Tuesday," Mourinho said. "Let’s give Lugano a warm reception. They’ll enjoy the atmosphere, no doubt."

Should they eliminate Lugano, Fenerbahce will have to navigate the third qualifying round and the play-off round to earn a place in the Champions League group stage.