How NEC can beat Feyenoord 4-2 in De Kuip? Simple: the Nijmegen sub-topper takes advantage of the opportunities in the second half, while the home club leaves them unused in the first half. After Ajax’s loss at home to Excelsior (1-2), it is the second big surprise of the Eredivisie weekend. And it is Feyenoord’s third defeat in the last five matches. A month ago, coach Robin van Persie’s team was still at the top and PSV was six points behind in a direct encounter. But the people of Eindhoven won and tied the score. Now it is Feyenoord that is already six points behind leader PSV.
Is there a crisis in Rotterdam now? “You could call it that if you play really badly and don’t show anything,” says coach Van Persie after the match. “But that is not the case. I thought we played a fantastic first half, and then you just have to go into halftime with a difference of three or four goals.”
There will be a Feyenoord-NEC before half-time and a Feyenoord-NEC after half-time in De Kuip in Rotterdam on Sunday afternoon. Before the break, Feyenoord regularly succeeds in forcing NEC, which likes to attack so much, back. De Kuip enjoys dribbling from the Algerian right winger Anis Hadj-Moussa, who plays Ahmetcan Kaplan through the legs twice. And from Luciano Valente, who made his debut for the Dutch national team on Monday and also sometimes makes passes against NEC on Sunday that you rarely see in the Eredivisie.
The biggest Feyenoord chances are for captain Sem Steijn, who came over from FC Twente last summer for a lot of money to score the goals that Feyenoord had lost with the departure of Igor Paixao (18 goals and 19 assists in 2024/2025). Steijn has started well at Feyenoord with six goals in ten games, but twice on Sunday he lacked calmness and precision in finishing. Promising Feyenoord attacks regularly fail to create real opportunities, because Hadj-Moussa gets stuck, or because the young Leo Sauer starts a dribble with his head down – and then overlooks the space for his fellow players.
Rarely boring
With NEC, Feyenoord will meet one of the most attacking teams in the Eredivisie. Trainer Dick Schreuder plays with three defenders, none of whom – just in case – stays behind the ball as Philippe Sandler starts to build up. NEC matches are rarely boring and almost always with goals. Thanks to the victory in Rotterdam, the Nijmegen team is firmly in the sub-top.
Van Persie has instructed his players to be direct in passing. Because NEC is positioned so offensively, Feyenoord’s attackers can easily go one-on-one with their immediate guard. In theory, Feyenoord has the ideal players to benefit from this: striker Ayase Ueda is strong in duels and deals efficiently with opportunities, Hadj-Moussa and Sauer are among the best dribblers in the Eredivisie.
Sauer often lets himself collapse in the first half, in order to lure his direct opponent Eli Dasa along with him. Then Valente or Quinten Timber start a sprint towards the large space that is created behind the NEC defense. Only once did this lead to a chance, when Timber managed to keep the ball after such a deep run in the tenth minute of the match and passed it back to Sauer. The lanky Slovak (19) hits the ball completely wrong and sends it towards the corner flag.
Feyenoord striker Ayase Ueda in a duel for the ball in the match against NEC.
Photo Maurice van Steen / ANP
NEC takes the lead out of nowhere in minute 37 through Bryan Linssen, the small attacker who, with his clever skills, finds himself back in the starting line-up under every trainer. The overflowing section screams out loudly, NEC fans who have traveled along jump so en masse that you have to remind yourself that the construction of the Kuip has held up for decades and that it will continue to do so today.
Just before the half-time signal, Sauer shows why Feyenoord continues to give him confidence – despite his disappointing season so far. First he gives a perfect pass to the deep-running Timber with the outside of his right shoe. Further on in the attack he scores the equalizer. He takes advantage of the height difference with his direct opponent Eli Dasa, and heads in a cross from Steijn while falling. It is only his first goal of the season.
Hurried
After the break, Feyenoord loses all control over NEC. It still takes the lead through Bart Nieuwkoop, but that is actually completely against the odds. Feyenoord plays in a hurry and is too often tempted into direct play, only to lose the ball and have to sprint back dozens of meters.
Oranje-international Timber is no exception. The grumbling in the stands seems to be extra loud when he loses the ball twice in the second half during a transition moment with a failed pass. Timber’s contract expires after this season, and frustration is growing among Feyenoord supporters over the failed extension negotiations so far. The chance that he will leave for free in the summer is increasing.
Feyenoord exchanges Nieuwkoop for Jordan Lotomba and his direct opponent Basar Önal then delivers a measured cross twice. The first is headed in by substitute Noé Lebreton (2-2), the second by Kento Shiogai (3-2), also substituted. Just before the end it is Shiogai again who beautifully decides the match from about forty meters: 4-2.
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