Benfica and Fenerbahce played to a 0-0 tie in the first leg in Istanbul last week, but Benfica clinched the tie with a late first-half goal from Turkish international Kerem Akturkoglu in Lisbon.
It was a disappointing return to Estadio da Luz for Mourinho, who briefly managed Benfica early in his career 25 years ago.
Benfica, which lost to Barcelona in the last 16 last season, moves on to the league phase draw alongside city rival Sporting. Fenerbahce will compete in the Europa League, having not reached the Champions League proper since the 2008/09 season.
In other matches, FC Copenhagen defeated Swiss champions Basel 2-0, with second-half goals from Andreas Cornelius and Youssoufa Moukoko from a penalty, advancing 3-1 on aggregate.
Azerbaijan’s Qarabag progressed past Hungary’s Ferencvaros 5-4 on aggregate despite losing 3-2 in the second leg at home. Leandro Andrade and Abdellah Zoubir scored for Qarabag, while Gabi Kanichowsky, Barnabas Varga from a penalty, and Alex Toth scored for the visitors.
Rangers suffers humiliation in Belgium
Rangers exited the Champions League play-offs with a shocking 6-0 loss to Club Brugge, increasing pressure on manager Russell Martin. Benfica moved forward at the expense of Mourinho’s Fenerbahce.
The Glasgow club faced an uphill battle after a 1-3 defeat at home in the first leg, where they conceded three goals in the first 20 minutes.
Club Brugge took control early, scoring through Nicolo Tresoldi within five minutes, and by half-time, they had a five-goal lead. Rangers was down to 10 men in the eighth minute when Max Aarons received a red card for bringing down Christos Tzolis.
Tzolis hit the crossbar before Hans Vanaken headed in from a corner, and Joaquin Seys added two quick goals. Aleksandar Stankovic, son of 2010 Champions League winner Dejan, headed in Brugge’s fifth before Tzolis sealed the 9-1 aggregate victory early in the second half.
This defeat ties Rangers’ worst-ever margin in a European match. They will move to the Europa League while Martin’s job is now at risk after a poor start to their domestic season, having drawn their first three matches in the Scottish Premiership.
Rangers’ next match is a crucial derby at Ibrox against Celtic, who were eliminated from the Champions League on penalties by Kazakhstan’s Kairat Almaty in their play-off.
“The only thing you can do tonight is accept the pain, accept the humiliation,” Martin stated in an interview. “We have to heal and get stronger. We need to respond strongly on Sunday.”
Published on Aug 28, 2025