Cyriel Dessers scored twice as Feyenoord edged an absorbing Europa Conference League semi-final against Marseille, claiming a 3-2 first-leg success at De Kuip.

Dessers and Luis Sinisterra netted within three frantic first-half minutes, but Bamba Dieng and Gerson led a rapid Marseille comeback as a terrific first half ended level.   

But a dire back-pass from Duje Caleta-Car allowed Dessers to grab his brace immediately after the break as the hosts re-established their advantage. 

Arne Slot's men will now take a slender lead to Southern France for next week's second leg as they aim for a first European final appearance since 2002.

Dieng missed two glorious one-on-one chances for Marseille early on, side-footing straight at Ofir Marciano after eight minutes, before dragging another poor finish wide after 13 minutes.

Marseille were punished when Dessers poked the hosts into the lead after latching onto Sinisterra's flick in the 18th minute, and went two down when Sinisterra swept Reiss Nelson's cut-back beyond Steve Mandanda via a fortuitous deflection just three minutes later.

But the visitors halved the arrears when Dieng stuck a fierce long-range effort into the bottom-right corner after 28 minutes, and found themselves level when Gerson stabbed home after Marciano spilled a cross shortly before the break.

Marseille fell behind once again just nine seconds into the second half when Dessers intercepted Caleta-Car's dreadful back-pass before rounding Mandanda and tapping home.

Caleta-Car almost gifted the hosts a fourth when he passed straight to Byran Linssen after an hour, only for the substitute to drag his right-footed shot wide.

Mandanda denied Dessers his hat-trick after 75 minutes, before Dieng shot straight at Marciano when left unmarked late on, as Feyenoord put one foot in the final.

What does it mean? Feyenoord edge thriller to move closer to final

Feyenoord's thrilling victory moved them one step closer towards adding to their storied history in European competitions, and preserved their unbeaten record in the Conference League (eight wins, three draws this season).

The Dutch outfit, who have one European Cup and two UEFA Cups to their name, will simply need to maintain that record in France to make the final. 

Marseille get just Dessers after poor display

A calamitous defensive showing from Marseille was exploited ruthlessly by Dessers, who opened the scoring before putting Feyenoord back in front just seconds after the break. Dessers has now scored 10 goals in the Conference League this season, more than any other player in the competition. 

Meanwhile, he has set a new record for goals scored by a Feyenoord player in a European campaign (previously nine, scored by Lex Schoenmaker in 1973-74 and Pierre van Hooijdonk in 2001-02).

Marseille fail to make history

Sampaoli's team came into this contest as favourites after winning seven consecutive games in the Conference League, and could have become the first French team to record eight successive European wins (excluding qualifiers).

However, the visitors' poor defensive performance was summed up by Caleta-Car's costly error, and saw them fall short of that landmark achievement.

What's next? 

Feyenoord face an Eredivisie trip to Fortuna Sittard on Sunday ahead of next week's second leg, while Marseille host Lyon in Ligue 1 on the same day.

Roma head coach Jose Mourinho is one of the greatest managers of his generation and has nothing to prove, according to Leicester City counterpart Brendan Rodgers.

Mourinho and Rodgers will come face-to-face on Thursday when Leicester host Roma for the first leg of their Europa Conference League semi-final.

The pair worked closely together when Rodgers was head of youth development at Chelsea during Mourinho's first spell in charge at Stamford Bridge.

Mourinho's stock has fallen somewhat in recent years, with this his first trip to England since being sacked by Tottenham in April last year.

The Portuguese has since had a mixed time of things in charge of Roma, with the Europa Conference League his last realistic shot at success this season.

Despite going five years since last winning a trophy – the Europa League with United in 2016-17 – Rodgers remains a big supporter of Mourinho.

"He has nothing to prove to anyone. He will always be a winner," Rodgers said at his pre-match news conference on Wednesday. 

"I cannot speak any higher of him. He is one of the greats of our generation. I have got nothing but admiration for him. 

"I became a manager in my own right but I'll never forget what I gained from him as a young coach. I studied him and watched him and at that time it was a really special period."

Mourinho has won 25 trophies in four different countries across a 22-year career in senior management, including the Champions League with Porto and Inter.

"He had the X factor," Rodgers said when asked why he rates Mourinho as one of the best. "There isn't one single thing. He was brilliant in so many aspects of the game.

"Detail-orientated, man-management of the players, his understanding of the tactical adaptation of the game, he had that special quality I was able to see."

Leicester have struggled for consistency domestically this season and are only competing in the Europa Conference League after dropping out of the Europa League.

The Foxes have defeated Randers, Rennes and PSV to make it through to the semi-finals of UEFA's third-tier competition, where they will face Roma for the first time.

City have failed to win their previous two games against Italian opposition, losing and drawing with Napoli this season, while Roma have won just one of their 21 away games in England.

Rodgers, who confirmed striker Jamie Vardy could make a second start of 2022, is eager to set up a final against either Feyenoord or Marseille.

"It's a prestigious competition, all four teams will want to win it," he said.

"It's a fantastic occasion against a top-class team. To get to the final we will do everything we can. It's another symbol of our growth as a club."

Leicester have lost just one of their last 16 home games in all European competitions and none in the 2021-22 campaign.

Jose Mourinho criticised Roma for needing four attempts to defeat Bodo/Glimt after the Serie A side progressed to the Europa Conference League semi-finals on Thursday.

Roma failed to defeat Bodo/Glimt in two meetings in the group stage, including a 6-1 thrashing in Norway, before falling to a 2-1 defeat in the first leg of their last-eight meeting.

The latter clash was marred by an altercation between Bodo/Glimt coach Kjetil Knutsen and Roma goalkeeping coach Nuno Santos, with the former accusing the latter of an alleged assault in the tunnel.

The pair were suspended for the return leg in Italy, where a hat-trick from Nicolo Zaniolo and a strike from Tammy Abraham saw Roma cruise to a 4-0 win and 5-2 aggregate triumph.

Roma will next face Leicester City for a place in the final, but coach Mourinho was far from pleased with his side for taking four matches to claim their maiden victory against the Norwegian team.

"Even after the 2-1 first leg I was confident," he told Sky Sport Italia. "The plan was to focus only on the pitch. 

"It is unacceptable we only managed to beat this side at the fourth attempt, but it was the most important. It was 2-1 for them, it ended 5-2 for us.

"There was no doubt today. I told my team at half-time that it wasn't about humiliating the opposition, winning 6-1 the way they did in Norway, it's just about reaching the semi-final.

"Some fatigue set in later on but the team deserved it, we are now 12 games into the Conference League and it's tough playing on Thursdays and the weekend, but we are here waving the Italian flag in Europe."

Mourinho also claimed Roma "play a lot better than what people say" before he hit out at the Italian media for their coverage of Zaniolo, who returned with a treble after being dropped against Salernitana.

"Zaniolo sells, so people talk about him when he plays, doesn't play, is injured, on the bench," he added. "It would be better for him and for all of Italian football to just leave him alone.

"We managed to hide the fact he would start today, people thought he'd be on the bench, but I knew he could attack the space.

"We are very happy, he will no doubt be on the front page for only positive reasons tomorrow."

Roma will be hoping Zaniolo can deliver again when they visit Napoli on Monday in Serie A as they hunt for a place in Italy's top four, sitting five points behind fourth-placed Juventus with six games left to play.

James Maddison hailed Leicester City's second-half fightback as "brilliant" after the Foxes reached the first European semi-final in their history.

A last-four clash with Jose Mourinho's Roma awaits Leicester as their Europa Conference League campaign gathers steam, with Thursday's 2-1 win at PSV highlighting their class.

Maddison scored a 77th-minute equaliser in Eindhoven, after Eran Zahavi's opener in the 27th minute for the Eredivisie hosts.

Ricardo Pereira then hit the winning goal in the 88th minute after Patson Daka had a shot blocked, carrying Brendan Rodgers' team into uncharted territory.

The first leg between the teams had finished goalless.

"I'm so proud of the boys, so proud of everyone here," Maddison told LCFC TV.

"These nights, there's such a big build-up, and you get that big-game feeling.

"We started a bit slow probably, and we actually played a lot better once they scored. We settled a little bit more when we were one goal behind, which is not ideal but is how it went.

"In the second half I thought we were brilliant, so intense, playing on the front foot, penning them in, and we scored two goals of quality to win the game, and I think we were deserved winners.

"I'm really happy and really proud of the lads."

Maddison's goal was his third of the season in the competition, the most by a Leicester player.

"I got the goal at a perfect time," said the England international. "It was brilliant from Ayoze Perez to chop the guy and lay it on a plate for me.

"From then I felt it, like we were going to go on and win the game, wherever it was going to come from. It felt we were fitter, more intense, and we go there in the end with Ricky at the back post."

Julio Cesar has backed his former manager Jose Mourinho to become the first coach to lift the Europa Conference League trophy, adding to his substantial European legacy.

Mourinho leads his Roma side into their quarter-final second leg against Bodo/Glimt on Thursday, looking to recover from a 2-1 first-leg loss in Norway.

Cesar played under Mourinho while at Inter, winning a historic treble in the 2009-10 season consisting of the Serie A title, Coppa Italia, and the Champions League.

The Portuguese coach has won four European trophies during his career, two Champions Leagues (Porto 2003-04, Inter 2009-10) and two UEFA Cup/Europa Leagues (Porto 2002-03, Manchester United 2016-17).

Speaking with Stats Perform courtesy of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Cesar praised Mourinho and his ability to lift major European trophies.

"Mourinho is for me a special manager," he said. "I was at Inter when he joined us, and we lived moments of joy. I really think highly of him. I support him always.

"I think AS Roma appointed the right manager. He is really passionate. He's got determination. He has already won the Europa League with Porto and Manchester United. He knows this competition well, and the Champions League. He knows how to play in Europe, in this kind of competition. He is used to lifting trophies."

The former Brazil goalkeeper also spoke highly of Roma, admitting that he would have liked to have played for the Giallorossi to experience the support of their fans, whom he compared to those of one of his former clubs, Brazilian outfit Flamengo.

"AS Roma are a team for the people," he said. "As a former player, I would like to play just one time for AS Roma, listening to their supporters. They are supporters similar to Flamengo."

Cesar also said the motivation to be the winner of the inaugural edition of the Conference League will drive Mourinho to succeed this season.

"It's the first edition of the Conference League. It can be a new trophy for him." Cesar added. "He's someone who loves to win the first edition of a competition. It would be a nice thing for him.

"He would be the first to win the European treble; Conference League, Europa League and Champions League. He's someone like that. It is what is pushing him, trying to win the three cups in Europe."

The 42-year-old also believes the Conference League has improved fans' experience of European football, allowing people to watch teams they would not normally see, and giving smaller clubs experience of high-profile European games.

"Today we can see many clubs playing in Europe that we didn't know before," Cesar added. "Only people crazy about football follow every league. It doesn't work like that for everybody. We can get to know new squads and managers thanks to Conference League. I think it's been a positive thing for football.

"Every player dreams to play in European competitions. UEFA did something nice to organise this new competition. It's important for football. For supporters who did not expect to see their team playing in Europe, I think this idea arrived in the right time.

"It's a nice thing for supporters [of small clubs] following their team away to play against Roma or Tottenham... [The players] play in clubs that are able to play in nice stadiums and atmospheres [thanks to the Conference League]."

Thursday also sees the Europa League quarter-finals draw to a close, and Cesar said the last eight of that competition is a level playing field, with surprises "always possible".

"We know when a team is better than another in today's football," he said. "However, all teams are level in the quarter-finals. It's still possible to see some surprises. It's always possible, this is football. Football is passion."

On which team he thinks are favourites to win the Europa League, Cesar added: "I think Barcelona is a team to respect, considering their history and tradition."

Jose Mourinho is "convinced" Roma will advance to the Europa Conference League semi-finals against Bodo/Glimt, insisting his side are "the best team" in the tie.

The Giallorossi boss also said he was not interested in discussing the controversy which erupted at the end of the two sides' first-leg clash, but pointedly highlighted Roma's "exemplary" conduct when losing to the same opponents last October.

Roma fell to a 2-1 reverse at the home of the Norwegian champions last Thursday, and are winless in their three head-to-head meetings with them this season (one draw, two losses), scoring just four goals and conceding 10.

Controversy erupted after the first-leg clash, with Bodo/Glimt boss Kjetil Knutsen and Roma goalkeeping coach Nuno Santos receiving bans from UEFA after the former accused Santos of assault in the tunnel after the game.

Mourinho, who is looking to deliver the capital club their first major trophy since 2008, said he was convinced Roma would prove they are "the best team" at the Stadio Olimpico, but refuted suggestions that there would be "tension" between the two camps on Thursday.

"I haven't seen any player feeling the tension, and I didn't in any of the three games we have already played," Mourinho said. "The first game [a 6-1 loss last October] was a historic defeat for us, as a club, and as professionals. But our conduct was, in my opinion, exemplary in the way we reacted to losing in the way we lost.

"We showed a spirit of fair play, a dignity and a comportment that was unusual. Usually, people react in negative ways to something like that, but we showed honour, outside of the humiliation of the result itself.

"What happened on Thursday evening was something detached from the contest. The game was normal, then there was an ugly moment, but one that bears no relation to anything else that happened [on the pitch].

"That's it. Tomorrow we just want to play, and I think that they just want to play. We want to reach the semi-finals and so do they.

"Tomorrow I am expecting a football match where the best team wins, and I am convinced that we are the best team."

Mourinho was also asked about Bodo/Glimt's repeated allegations that Santos had provoked the post-match altercation last week, after the Norwegian team saw an appeal against their head coach's ban rejected by UEFA.

Bodo/Glimt have also accused Roma of "bombarding the media with untruths' related to the incident, but Mourinho refused to be drawn on such comments.

 "I don't have to think about it," Mourinho added. "UEFA are the ones who think about it. I don't decide, UEFA decide.

"I don't have anything to say about what Bodo/Glimt have had to say. If you only want to ask me about what others have said about different things, then I am not interested in doing that."

Roma will be looking to build upon a strong home record in European knockout ties as they attempt to reach the final four. The Giallorossi are unbeaten in their last 11 home games played in the knockout stage of European competitions (nine wins, two draws), scoring in each of those games and averaging 2.2 goals per game.

Bodo/Glimt head coach Kjetil Knutsen will miss Thursday's Europa League Conference clash with Roma after UEFA dismissed the club's appeal against his suspension.

The 53-year-old alleged Giallorossi goalkeeping coach Nuno Santos assaulted him in the tunnel after the Norwegian champions claimed a 2-1 first-leg win over Roma in the competition's quarter-finals last week.

UEFA's Control, Ethics and Disciplinary body then provisionally suspended both men from all European competitions on Monday while its investigation into the incident continued, leading Bodo/Glimt to lodge an appeal.

However, European football's governing body has upheld its previous decision, announcing Knutsen "is provisionally suspended for the next UEFA club competition matches in which he would otherwise participate until the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body decides on the merits of the case".

Bodo/Glimt professed themselves "surprised and shocked" by the original decision to issue a ban to Knutsen, who accused Santos of grabbing him by the neck and pushing him against a wall after the match.

Roma were also accused by their rivals of "bombarding the media with untruths" relating to the incident, while Knutsen said he "considered whether it was really a good idea to continue working in football" after the altercation.

Bodo/Glimt travel to Rome for the decisive second leg of the tie on Thursday, having won 10 and drawn eight of their last 18 away games in all competitions.

The visitors claimed a 2-2 draw on their previous visit to the Stadio Olimpico in November and are unbeaten in three clashes with Jose Mourinho's team this season, winning two and drawing one. The Norwegian team have scored 10 goals and conceded just four in their head-to-head clashes with the Giallorossi.

Bodo/Glimt head coach Kjetil Knutsen and Roma goalkeeping coach Nuno Santos have been provisionally suspended by UEFA following assault allegations.

Santos was accused of assaulting Knutsen in the tunnel after Jose Mourinho's men fell to a 2-1 first-leg defeat in their Europa League Conference quarter-final in Norway last Thursday. 

Both clubs released statements in the aftermath of the incident, with Roma announcing that they were cooperating with UEFA and local authorities to investigate the claims.

The Norwegian champions accused their opponents of "bombarding the media with untruths" relating to the altercation, and European football's governing body has since announced its decision on the matter.

Both coaches will be provisionally suspended from European fixtures until a further ruling is made on the case by UEFA's Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body.

Knutsen alleged that Santos grabbed him by the neck and pushed him against a wall during a heated alteration outside the dressing rooms after the match.

The encounter marked the second time the Norwegian side have beaten Roma in this season's competition, with a first-half Lorenzo Pellegrini goal cancelled out by second-half strikes from Ulrik Saltnes and Hugo Vetlesen. 

Roma will attempt to overturn the first-leg deficit when they welcome Bodo/Glimt to the Stadio Olimpico for the crucial return leg on Thursday.

Roma have released a statement in response to allegations made against a member of their coaching staff following Thursday's Europa Conference League defeat at Bodo/Glimt.

The statement explains the club has provided assistance to UEFA and local authorities after it was alleged that Giallorossi goalkeeper coach Nuno Santos assaulted Bodo/Glimt coach Kjetil Knutsen in the tunnel after the Norwegian side's 2-1 quarter-final first leg win.

Knutsen claimed Santos grabbed him by the neck and pushed him against a wall during the altercation.

A statement released by the Serie A club on Friday read: "AS Roma would like to note that, following the conclusion of the match on Thursday evening, club directors and other members of the coaching staff remained at the Aspmyra Stadion until 00:45 local time, purely for the purpose of providing UEFA and local authorities with all the details of what transpired in the areas outside the changing rooms following the full-time whistle.

"The club has total confidence that UEFA and its various bodies will ultimately establish with clarity and precision where responsibility lies for the events that occurred, events that we have already described and explained in detail to all the relevant authorities present on site.

"Finally, the club would like to emphasise that it has always conducted itself in a manner that upholds the values of fair play and sportsmanship, both on and off the pitch: the same principles that we hope will be on display throughout next week's second leg."

It was the second time the Norwegian side have beaten Roma in this season's competition, with a first-half Lorenzo Pellegrini goal being cancelled out by second-half strikes from Ulrik Saltnes and Hugo Vetlesen.

Pellegrini told Sky Sport Italia after the game he believed Knutsen attacked Santos first, claims that their opponents strongly deny.

Bodo/Glimt also released a statement about the incident, saying: "Roma is bombarding the media with untruths in an attempt to hide the unsportsmanlike behaviour.

"Glimt knows that there is a video of the incident, which shows the attack on Knutsen from representatives of Rome's coaching team. The club has seen this video. We demand that the public have access to this video owned by UEFA."

General manager Frode Thomassen added: "Glimt sees no other choice than to report Nuno Santos to the police on the basis of the physical attack on Kjetil Knutsen. It is completely unacceptable behavior. 

"This is a systematic provocation, manipulation and finally the exercise of physical violence against Kjetil Knutsen. We are confident that an objective body will ignore incorrect claims from Roma."

UEFA also confirmed on Friday the matter is being investigated, saying: "In accordance with Article 31(4) of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations, a UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector has been appointed to conduct a disciplinary investigation regarding reported incidents which allegedly occurred at the end of the 2021/22 Europa Conference League quarter-final match between FK Bodo/Glimt and AS Roma played on 7 April 2022 in Norway.

"Information on this matter will be made available in due course."

Brendan Rodgers says Leicester City's lack of experience showed in their 0-0 draw with PSV but remains hopeful of advancing into the Europa Conference League semi-finals.

The Foxes could not find a way through from any of their 10 shots in Thursday's quarter-final first leg at the King Power Stadium, just two of which were on target.

That equated to an expected goals (xG) return of 0.72 for City, compared to 0.47 for PSV, who tested Kasper Schmeichel on only one occasion in the stalemate.

It is the first time Leicester have failed to score in a European game in nine outings, having netted 20 times across the previous eight at an average of 2.5 goals per game.

Leicester were competing in just their second European quarter-final, the other coming in the 2016-17 Champions League, whereas PSV have reached the last eight 16 times.

And City boss Rodgers, whose side have lacked consistency throughout the season, felt that told in a game between two well-matched teams.

"At times we showed our lack of experience but that will come," he said at his post-match news conference. "In the first half we broke through but then tried to force it.

"It was always going to be tight. You want to win it but it wasn't to be. We'll go there and they'll open up more and that will give us more space. We're looking forward to it."

Harvey Barnes went closest to netting for City when rattling the crossbar just before half-time, while Mario Gotze was denied by a good Schmeichel stop from PSV's best chance.

Kelechi Iheanacho led the line in the absence of injured strike partner Jamie Vardy and attempted twice as many shots (four) as any player, despite playing only 67 minutes.

After a frustrating day in front of goal, Rodgers admitted he was after more cutting-edge from his attacking players. 

"It's a good performance. There were not too many chances," he said. "PSV had an early one but apart from that I thought we defended strongly.

"There were not too many chances in the game. Maybe a bit more quality in the final third would have made it a bit easier for us. 

"We just lacked that bit of quality up there. We just didn't have that extra final bit of quality to create that chance.

"There was no surprise in terms of PSV. They have good players and are a threat on the counter-attack. 

"Domestically PSV score a lot of goals home and away but we restricted them to not so much."

Leicester have now lost just one of their last 16 matches in European competition, keeping eight clean sheets in the process.

The return leg takes place at Philips Stadion next Thursday, with the winners to take on either Bodo/Glimt or Roma in the semi-finals.

Roma will seek redemption against Bodo/Glimt in the Europa Conference League quarter-final, while Leicester City will face PSV.

Jose Mourinho's Roma were hammered 6-1 at Bodo/Glimt in the group stage of this competition, and the Norwegian side now stand in their way of a potential semi-final meeting with Leicester or PSV.

Brendan Rodgers' Leicester overcame Rennes 3-2 on aggregate in their last-16 clash, while PSV ran out 8-4 aggregate victors in a thrilling tie with Copenhagen in the last round.

Another two teams that met in the group stages will face off on the other side of the draw, with Feyenoord hosting Slavia Prague in the first leg and the winners will meet Marseille or PAOK in the other semi-final.

The two-leg quarter-final clashes are set to take place across April 7 and April 14, with the semi-finals to follow on April 28 and May 5.

Europa League quarter-final draw

Bodo/Glimt v Roma

Feyenoord v Slavia Prague

Marseille v PAOK

Leicester City v PSV

Semi-final draw

Leicester City / PSV v Bodo/Glimt / Roma

Feyenoord / Slavia Prague v Marseille / PAOK

Roma head coach Jose Mourinho has sparked the build-up for Sunday's Derby della Capitale remarking Lazio were "smoking cigarettes" while his side progressed in the Conference League on Thursday.

The Giallorossi edged past Dutch outfit Vitesse after Tammy Abraham's 90th-minute goal earned a 1-1 draw and 2-1 aggregate victory at the Stadio Olimpico.

Mourinho said Roma would quickly switch their attention to Sunday's derby with his side in seventh, one point behind Maurizio Sarri's Lazio in fifth in Serie A.

"Obviously, I am not happy that we played today with many players who will also have to be there on Sunday while tonight Lazio are home smoking cigarettes with Sarri, but it’s because Vitesse are really good," Mourinho told reporters after the game.

Mourinho fielded a strong Roma outfit against Vitesse and given the situation of the tie, with Maximilian Wittek's 62nd-minute goal levelling it on aggregate, he was unable to rest any key players with a quick turnaround for Sunday's derby.

"Now Sarri is at home smoking his cigarette while I go home trying to think how we can recover from this for Sunday," Mourinho said.

He added: "We never came into this to control the result or aim for a draw to get us through. We worked with one objective, preparing to go for victory.

"It was a bad performance on a technical level, it might seem tactical, but it was technical. We defended well and showed character, but we also pushed hard at the end with El Shaarawy as a third striker, not a wing-back.

"I don’t want to say we 100 per cent deserved to go through, but over the two legs did a little more."

Roma head coach Jose Mourinho has sparked the build-up for Sunday's Derby della Capitale remarking Lazio are off "smoking cigarettes" while his side progressed in the Conference League on Thursday.

The Giallorossi edged past Dutch outfit Vitesse after Tammy Abraham's 90th-minute goal earned a 1-1 draw and 2-1 aggregate victory.

Mourinho said Roma would quickly switch their attention to Sunday's derby with his side in seventh, one point behind Maurizio Sarri's Lazio in fifth.

"Obviously, I am not happy that we played today with many players who will also have to be there on Sunday while tonight Lazio are home smoking cigarettes with Sarri, but it’s because Vitesse are really good," Mourinho told reporters after the game.

Mourinho fielded a strong Roma outfit against Vitesse and given the situation of the tie, with Maximilian Wittek's 62nd-minute goal levelling it on aggregate, he was unable to rest any key players with a quick turnaround for Sunday's derby.

"Now Sarri is at home smoking his cigarette while I go home trying to think how we can recover from this for Sunday," Mourinho said.

He added: "We never came into this to control the result or aim for a draw to get us through. We worked with one objective, preparing to go for victory.

"It was a bad performance on a technical level, it might seem tactical, but it was technical. We defended well and showed character, but we also pushed hard at the end with El Shaarawy as a third striker, not a wing-back.

"I don’t want to say we 100 per cent deserved to go through, but over the two legs did a little more."

Brendan Rodgers praised Wesley Fofana’s mentality, following his goal to put Leicester City through to the Europa Conference League quarter-finals.

Leicester lost 2-1 on the night, but Fofana’s goal upon his return put Leicester through 3-2 on aggregate.

The 21-year-old Frenchman has not played since breaking his leg in pre-season, but along with his goal to separate the teams on aggregate, quickly adapted to a tense European atmosphere.

Rodgers highlighted it was the mark of a top player.

"He’s an amazing player, that’s what top players do,” Rodgers told BT Sport post-match. "He’s only been back in training a few weeks but they want to go and head it and show that determination. That’s what we’ve missed for a lot of the season.

"That’s a top player’s mentality, he’s such a top prospect. Now he’s just got to try and build his fitness up. He was exceptional on the night."

With Lovro Majer back in the Rennes starting XI for the second leg, it was an unsurprisingly fast start and Benjamin Bourigeaud put them up after only eight minutes.

Fofana equalised on 51 minutes, handing Rennes a sizeable task to eventually turn the tie around. Rodgers was still critical of his side’s performance, but was nevertheless relieved progression was secured, given the opposition.

"I think with the ball we were really, really poor," he said.

"Our football in the game, especially in the first half, was nowhere near what I would expect. What we did show tonight was real character, especially with the players missing and lots of young players tasting this level for the first time. It’s character building for them.

"We had to show resilience. You can see they’re a good side, Rennes, so to get through is a fantastic feeling. We knew they were going to make a fast start and come after us.

"They got the early goal as well, but we showed a good mentality, a good concentration level."

Russian football chiefs have failed in an attempt to suspend the ban on their teams appearing in UEFA competitions.

The Russian Football Union (FUR) lodged an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after its clubs and national team were banned from all FIFA and UEFA competitions "until further notice".

The joint-decision taken by FIFA and UEFA followed Russia's invasion of Ukraine three weeks ago.

Russia "categorically disagreed" with the ban and submitted its appeal, while also seeking an initial stay of execution.

However, CAS, which has yet to announce a schedule for the appeal hearing, has refused to put UEFA's sanctions on hold.

"The challenged decision remains in force and all Russian teams and clubs continue to be suspended from participation in UEFA competitions," CAS said in a statement.

Spartak Moscow were Russia's only remaining representative in European club competition at the time of the decision, with opponents RB Leipzig receiving a bye to the Europa League quarter-finals.

Tuesday's CAS announcement only applies to UEFA competitions. Russia are hoping to overturn a FIFA ban that would potentially allow them to play in the World Cup.

Russia were due to face Poland in a qualifying play-off semi-final later this month, but FIFA instead handed their opponents a bye to the final.

Should Russia fail in their challenge to that ruling, Poland will face either Sweden or the Czech Republic – with that semi-final on March 24 still set to go ahead – for a place at Qatar 2022.

Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic have each announced they will refuse to play Russia due to ongoing events in Ukraine.