Feyenoord snapped their winless run in the Eredivisie but failed to convince against relegation-threatened city rivals
Rarely will a three-goal derby win have felt less satisfactory. Feyenoord’s meeting with crosstown visitors Sparta Rotterdam was a sloppy, nervous affair, its only sparkle provided by late goals from Anis Hadj Moussa and Igor Paixao which gave the hosts a margin of victory that flattered them. Despite picking up their first Eredivisie win of 2025, Feyenoord’s confidence will be low ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League playoff first leg against AC Milan after a night where whistles outnumbered cheers.
Both sides entered Saturday’s fixture in a markedly worse position than when they met on Super Bowl weekend last year, a match Feyenoord won 2-0. Feyenoord, second in the table this time last season, were in fifth place ahead of kick-off following a four-game winless run in the league, while Sparta started the night in sixteenth place having stood tenth twelve months ago. Sparta had won their last two matches to ease fears of direct relegation, but the weight of history was against them extending that streak. The team from Rotterdam-West hadn’t won at De Kuip since 2000, failing to score on their previous four journeys across the Nieuwe Maas.
Yet it was Sparta who took the initiative early on. Feyenoord manager Brian Priske had freshened up his team with five changes from Wednesday’s loss against PSV Eindhoven, but the first ten minutes unfolded largely within Feyenoord’s half. Howls of frustration rose from the stands as Sparta fullbacks Said Bakari and Patrick van Aanholt surged into dangerous areas and Feyenoord struggled to hold possession. The game’s first shot on target was duly for the visitors. Tobias Lauritsen beat Bart Nieuwkoop in the air on the edge of the six-yard box but the Norwegian could only punt the dropping ball straight at Timon Wellenreuther in the Feyenoord goal.
Sparta played diligently, their compact back four supported by a hardworking midfield that gave Feyenoord’s midfielders little time or space. Feyenoord’s attacking threat was thus forced to come from the sides, with Quilindschy Hartman patrolling the left flank on his first start since March following a serious knee injury. But with little creativity or guile in evidence the hosts needed a VAR-aided stroke of luck to take the lead. From a corner, Nieuwkoop headed the ball onto the raised arm of Sparta midfielder Pelle Clement, a penalty awarded by referee Serdar Gözübüyük after consulting the pitchside monitor. Quinten Timber converted the spot kick to brighten supporters’ half-time moods after a ponderous opening period.
The second half began in a similarly stolid fashion, Feyenoord holding the ball but unable to fashion much with it. Hadj Moussa was the one locksmith who looked capable of breaching the perimeter fence around Sparta’s box, wriggling through two Sparta defenders to set up a shot for Jakub Moder eight minutes after the restart. The Algerian winger was criticized for lackadaisical performances against Lille and Ajax but was back to his playful self in the derby.
Despite the threat Hadj Moussa carried, it was his opposite number at right winger Mitchell van Bergen who came closer to scoring on two different occasions. The first chance was set up by centre-half Mike Eerdhuijzen, who charged out of defence and fed Van Bergen with a terrific lofted ball which was controlled and volleyed just over the crossbar. The second came from a turnover on the halfway line, Van Bergen finding space just inside the area to cut onto his left foot and hit a shot which curled just beyond Wellenreuther’s far post. With twenty minutes remaining, Feyenoord were hanging on in an anxious Kuip, several sections of which were empty as punishment for setting off fireworks earlier in the season.
Hadj Moussa secured the three points with five minutes to play, dribbling thirty yards before shifting the ball onto his right foot and rolling it past Nick Olij into the net. Several Feyenoord players fell to their haunches or flat on their back after the goal: they had needed to work very hard to get past their hungry, organized city rivals. Paixao added a third in stoppage time, a long-range effort which flew in on a bounce to give the result some shine. But this performance will have convinced few, and Feyenoord must do better against their Milanese opponents to stand any chance of further progression in Europe.
Inthehalfspace 