For a long time there was a small stunt in the making for FC Groningen in De Kuip. The northerners drove the Rotterdammers to despair, but got the lid on the nose two minutes before the end. The compelling clash in five bullets.
1. Prodigal Son
A match in De Kuip has something special for every player, but for Elvis Manu it almost borders on the magical. As a child of the club, the FC Groningen attacker dreamed of a leading role in Rotterdam. He is still adored by the Feyenoord supporters, who, for example, remember all too well the winning 4-3 that Manu once made in stoppage time against Zorya Luhansk in the 2014-2015 season.
Manu even has such a big Feyenoord heart that, when he was on loan to Cambuur in 2014, he was already replaced by coach Henk de Jong after half an hour because he didn’t manage to play against his great love. Despite the fact that he was angry about the substitution, Manu spoke about a goosebumps moment afterwards, because he received a thunderous applause from the full stands in De Kuip.
In the shirt of FC Groningen, Manu worked up a sweat in the striker on Saturday evening, he even had a great chance in the opening phase, but he was not always happy in his actions. The Rotterdammer was substituted early in the second half. And yes, again he was allowed to leave the field with a warm applause.
2. The odds
Trainer Dennis van der Ree kept the 4-3-3 system up against Feyenoord, but did move the figures. For example, Elvis Manu moved from the left wing position to the center. That had a tactical background. From a defensive point of view, the technical staff of FC Groningen did not like to let Manu continuously walk along with the upcoming right back of Feyenoord, Marcus Pedersen. Moreover, some things were expected from the interaction between Manu and Ricardo Pepi in the rush hour.
The latter did not come out 100 percent, but Manu did get the chance and an opportunity to give FC Groningen the lead in the first half. The first was in the fifth minute on a beautiful deep pass from the back from Manu’s buddy Jetro Willems, but Feyenoord goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther was attentive. Two minutes later, Manu was served by Liam van Gelderen. Again, the attacker was able to go straight for the Feyenoord goal, but this time Manu was not given the chance either.
,,A 100 percent chance, but he does not take the ball well and then plays it too far ahead of him”, said analyst Rob McDonald, who made many goals for FC Groningen in the past. ,,Manu is not someone you have to play in depth, but with his back to the goal and the ball in his foot, he is a great striker. He lacks the finesse for the depth. It would have been better if Pepi had received the ball in depth instead of Manu. In the forward movement, Pepi is the better striker. Manu lacks creativity.”
3. Thijmen Blokzijl
In the first phase of the match, FC Groningen was not inferior to Feyenoord, but as the game progressed, the team from Rotterdam gained more and more ground. The home club’s first big chance presented itself in the eighteenth minute, but Thijmen Blokzijl intervened just in time with a bet by David Hancko.
The sovereign way in which the FC Groningen defender, who has just turned eighteen, manifested himself against Feyenoord commanded respect from analyst McDonald. ,,He exudes so much calmness, really very handsome for a boy of that age”, the former striker expressed his admiration. The way in which Blokzijl gave instructions to his fellow players, as if he had been there for years, could also count on McDonald’s praise. “I’m afraid you’ll lose him if you’re relegated. That is why the negotiations will take so long. The best thing for that boy would be to mature a few more years at FC Groningen, but of course that has to be done in the premier league.”
4. Red card
In the 51st minute FC Groningen came to De Kuip with ten men. It was Isak Määttä who received his second yellow card from referee Joey Kooij, an arbitrator who was often not well disposed to FC Groningen in the past. This time, too, questions could be raised about the cards.
Määttä got the first yellow card for wasting time with a throw-in, but the young Norwegian was actually presented with the bill for the time-wasting of his teammate Michael Verrips, who antagonized the entire stadium. Määttä was shown a second yellow card for kicking the ball into Alireza Jahanbakhsh after knocking the wing forward down. There seemed to be no foul play. The FC Groningen player wanted to clear the ball. Nevertheless, referee Kooij was unrelenting.
The result of the red card was that in the remainder of the second half there was a stampede on FC Groningen’s goal, with the northerners defending with all their might and goalkeeper Verrips one ball after another, to frustration. of the home crowd.
5. Lid on the nose
Feyenoord built up the reputation this season that it often decides matches in the ultimate final phase. That was also the case against the valiantly fighting FC Groningen. The northerners still got the lid on the nose two minutes before the end of the official playing time. It was Oussama Idrissi who finally pulled the trigger on behalf of Feyenoord.
Still, McDonald had nothing but praise for what FC Groningen showed in De Kuip on Saturday evening. “They didn’t do badly at all. It’s a boost that they’ve lasted this long, anyway. Anyone who had said in advance that FC Groningen would only lose 1-0 in Rotterdam and that the match would only be decided in the last minutes, probably wouldn’t have believed it. It’s a boost. You don’t have to be ashamed of this at all.”
According to McDonald, the only unfortunate thing was the lack of return in the front at FC Groningen. ,,Manu’s two chances, if you had made one of them, things would have turned out differently. It’s a shame you don’t reward yourself, but everyone worked really hard. You can have a good feeling about this match.”