Champions League review: Irish heroics, rejected resignations and Mourinho’s return

The Champions League league phase is underway and The Guardian kicks off its review with several standout stories. At Barcelona, Hansi Flick’s team underlined their attacking quality with a 5-1 thrashing of Feyenoord, where Gabriel Jesus scored his first goal for the club and Lamine Yamal also found the net after a messy free-kick, following Raphinha’s reminder that this attack has multiple dimensions.

Betis and Parrott’s moment

In Spain, the spotlight landed on Troy Parrott (Real Betis). As The Guardian notes, before heading to Seville this summer, Betis’ European tie with Lille wasn’t expected to mean much to Irish fans—but Parrott has quickly become a talking point. He scored again after the kind of high-pressure breakthrough that made him feel close to “national hero” status, turning a promising sequence into a 3-2 lead that Betis managed to hold. Parrott himself summed up the night in Budapest: “I don’t think I’ll ever have a better night in my whole life.” The article adds that his upcoming games could be aiming to match that feeling.

Fenerbahçe resignation drama

Turkey delivered the other big headline. After Fenerbahçe’s 1-1 draw with Roma, veteran coach Ismail Kartal resigned after the match “to clear the way”. The drama intensified when president Aziz Yildirim said he would not accept the resignation, stressing that Kartal should continue and that “we are a family”. The explanation given for the sudden exit, per the report, was Kartal’s annoyance at a bottle being thrown toward him.

Mourinho under the microscope

Finally, José Mourinho’s Real Madrid return immediately attracted scrutiny. The Guardian says that before Mourinho’s on-air interview with Movistar following a close-run 2-1 defeat to Inter, Raúl González offered pointed criticism, comments that appeared aimed at midfield choices and linked to Trent Alexander-Arnold. In a Bernabéu atmosphere that made clear “better is expected”, the Champions League begins with questions hanging over how quickly the team can reset.