After two draws and seven wins in a row, Feyenoord has lost a match in the Eredivisie for the first time this season. In Enschede, FC Twente defeated the national champion 2-1 on Sunday afternoon, who are now in fourth place with 23 points after ten games. FC Twente is number three with two points more.
The question before the match was whether Feyenoord, four days after the victory in the Champions League over Lazio (3-1), was ready for the difficult away match against FC Twente. The answer came after ten minutes, when Manfred Ugalde put the home side at 1-0 with a shot that was deflected a few meters from the goal by Feyenoord defender Quilindschy Hartman.
In the first half Feyenoord hardly managed to create any chances, but shortly after half-time Calvin Stengs was close to the equalizer. The hand of FC Twente goalkeeper Lars Unnerstall stood in the way of the 1-1. Feyenoord coach Arne Slot tried to gain more control of the match with a number of substitutions, but this did not result in a goal. A substitute from FC Twente, Ricky van Wolfswinkel, made it 2-0 in the 78th minute.
Feyenoord, which under Slot often managed to score in the final phase in previous seasons, did not give up and reduced the deficit to 2-1 thanks to a goal from captain Lutsharel Geertruida. In extra time, FC Twente was still close to 3-1, but Daan Rots’ bet was cleared off the line.
“We cannot look back on a very good match,” Slot said afterwards to ESPN. “It is always a difficult match here and especially after an early goal you know that it will not be quiet for ninety minutes. That helps the home team enormously.”
Slot noted that Feyenoord had had the ball a lot, but that possession had not led to many opportunities. “Although they also have a good goalkeeper, who made a few good saves. You can win lesser competitions through inspiration from an individual or because you give away so little. But we gave too much away.”
Under new coach Joseph Oosting, who came over from RKC Waalwijk in the summer as successor to Ron Jans, FC Twente is making the best start to the season since 1968-1969. The team won eight matches and drew once. The only defeat was against RKC. “The way we started may have been the deciding factor,” Oosting said at the press conference. The 51-year-old trainer saw his tactical plan well executed by his players. “Ultimately it is also a challenge to look for something to hurt them against a team like Feyenoord. I’m glad it turned out this way.” (NRC, ANP)