On a relaxed evening that is rare for Feyenoord, the team did itself a favor in several areas. Apart from reaching the quarterfinals of the Europa League, a novelty for the club, confidence for Sunday’s Classic at Ajax tanked. Due to the fast and wide lead, no unnecessary energy was wasted. Key players were allowed to rest in the second half. Windfalls with a view to the match in Amsterdam, where the lead in the Eredivisie is at stake.
With swirling football and beautiful goals, it became 7-1 against Shakhtar Donetsk in De Kuip. This after last week’s 1-1 in Warsaw, which Shakhtar had to avoid because of the war in the homeland. For example, Feyenoord, last season’s finalist in the Conference League, continues to impress European level at the second level. Potential opponents in the draw on Friday include Juventus and Manchester United. With the qualification, Feyenoord is doing good business for Dutch club football with a view to possibly two permanent tickets for the Champions League from 2024 – the Netherlands now has one.
Unprecedented luxury
Where this season is often won with hanging and strangling – often after falling behind, as recently against AZ and FC Volendam – Feyenoord was now in unprecedented luxury after almost forty minutes and a 3-0 lead. The team threw with force in recent weeks, often having to fight until the last minutes for a victory. There were few easy ‘snacks’ – except for the 6-0 against Sturm Graz in the group stage of the Europa League.
Fitness, freshness, aches and pains. It is a lot about Feyenoord, now that it is still competing in three competitions in mid-March – in the top of the Eredivisie, semi-final KNVB Cup and the Europa League. With Austrian centre-back Gernot Trauner, one of last season’s mainstays but injured his knee in the winter, back in the starting line-up, coach Arne Slot could give right-back Marcus Pedersen a break.
It was the night before, as it soon turned out. Shakhtar Donetsk, on the run from the war for nine years, looked toothless after two matches. Even though Georgiy Sudakov shot spectacularly at the intersection. But Lassina Traoré, Ajax striker until 2021, played a lost match in the front. Shakhtar has come out of the winter break weakened by the departure of star player Mychajlo Moedryk, who left for Chelsea for 100 million euros. Shakhtar sent 25 million of that pot of money to Ukrainian soldiers and their families in Mariupol. After Shakhtar striker Kevin Kelsy’s 7-1 in the final phase, the stadium applauded – in support of Ukraine. The Ukrainian flags fluttered in the exit section.
The north stand, where the most fanatical supporters normally sit, remained empty. A punishment from the European football association UEFA for the disturbances at Sturm Graz and the setting off of many fireworks in the home game against Lazio, both in the group stage of the Europa League. An idea to place hundreds of Ukrainian children who fled to the Netherlands on the blank side did not make it.
Fear of Kökcu
Where Feyenoord usually needs a lot of chances to score, they now fell easily. After nine minutes, winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh finds centre-forward Santiago Gimenez, who shoots in the corner in a controlled manner. It is the start that Feyenoord wanted so much – quickly distance themselves.
There is a moment of shock when an opponent flies into the right ankle of playmaker and captain Orkun Kökcü. But he quickly gets up again. And moments later with a placed shot 2-0. It is the kind of shot that coach Arne Slot likes to see, even in his time as a player he thought: rather not shoot too hard, but cleanly and with precision. If Kökcü also makes 3-0 from a penalty kick, the revived supporters song ‘Feyenoord, Feyenoord, what are we going to do today’ by Cock van der Palm from 1992 can be used.
After the break, the beautiful goals pile up. Left winger Oussama Idrissi curls the ball into the far corner twice in almost identical fashion – the second slightly higher in the top corner. Jahanbakhsh hits the target from a distance and substitute striker Danilo also takes his goal. ‘Ten, ten, ten’, is shouted en masse. It won’t come to that. Powers are spared for Sunday. In the knowledge that Feyenoord has not been able to win in Amsterdam since August 2005.