The new football season has been started badly by Feyenoord Rotterdam. The final minutes of the away match against fellow Rotterdammers Sparta Rotterdam were the only time the reigning champions could avoid defeat, resulting in a 2-2 draw.
Last week, in the first round of the Eredivisie season, Feyenoord was unable to defeat Fortuna Sittard at home, resulting in a goalless draw. A week before that, they lost 1-0 to PSV in the Johan Cruijff Schaal.
After the match, the travelling Feyenoord supporters sang to the players, “We want blood, sweat, and tears.”
Feyenoord Rotterdam fixture
In the Eredivisie last season, dropping points was a rarity for Feyenoord as they only lost two games, against PSV (4-3) and Vitesse (0-1). When they faced Vitesse in May, Feyenoord was already champions.
Goalkeeper Justin Bijlow was absent at Het Kasteel due to a wrist injury, and Timon Wellenreuther replaced him, just like in the away match against Sparta last season. On that occasion, the German played a significant role by saving a penalty.
In April, Feyenoord Rotterdam secured a hard-fought victory (late 3-1) and took a big step towards the title. However, this time Feyenoord struggled once again.
Slot is still searching for the best formation for his midfield, and as a result, Ramiz Zerrouki was dropped to the bench after a disappointing display against Fortuna Sittard.
Feyenoord Rotterdam scores
In a reasonably even game, Calvin Stengs had a big chance after half an hour, but goalkeeper Nick Olij saved his shot well. Shortly before halftime, the ball hit the net at the other end, with Canadian striker Charles-Andreas Brym scoring from an assist by ex-Feyenoorder Jonathan de Guzman.
At halftime, Slot left Alireza Jahanbaksch behind in the dressing room and brought on the 17-year-old Slovakian Leo Sauer for his debut. In the 54th minute, Brym struck again for Sparta, making it 2-0.
Feyenoord then started their final attacks, which were often successful last season, and they were successful again this time. In the 77th minute, Mexican striker Santiago Gimenez headed home to halve the deficit.
Feyenoord continued to add pressure, while Sparta held strong for a long time and missed an opportunity to make it 3-1 on the counterattack.
