Sterling debuts as Feyenoord manage narrow win over Telstar

The first half between Feyenoord and Telstar had all the necessary ingredients to keep a fan absorbed: three goals, a series of great saves, a penalty and red card revoked amidst VAR drama. Yet it all served as a kind of elaborate warm-up act for the evening’s main attraction. Sunday marked Raheem Sterling’s debut for Feyenoord, the 82-time England international being greeted with a standing ovation as he entered the pitch on the hour mark and being cheered for every touch as his new side saw out a nervy 2-1 win. 

Most Feyenoord fans blinked in disbelief when Sterling’s signing was announced a week and a half ago, the winger having been a free agent after leaving Chelsea by mutual consent. In a season with precious few high points for Feyenoord, Sterling’s acquisition has provided a sprinkling of stardust, a break from the toxicity that has hung over the club all winter. Robin van Persie and his staff were impatient to get Sterling integrated into the team as soon as possible, even moving a pair of training sessions earlier this week to Belgium so that Sterling could practise with his new teammates, as he only received a Dutch work permit on Thursday.

Sterling has joined a Feyenoord team enmeshed in a three-way battle for second place in the Eredivisie, a spot which confers Champions League football for next season. Their two rivals– Ajax and NEC Nijmegen– fought to a 1-1 draw on Saturday, giving the Rotterdammers a chance to establish a five-point lead over their competitors with a win. Their opponents Telstar, making their first trip to De Kuip since the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive” was top of the Dutch charts, were looking to boost their chances of survival with a first league win of 2026. 

An upset felt plausible after Telstar opened the scoring in the 14th minute. The visitors attacked down the right, before Neville Ogidi Nwankwo– one of Telstar’s three centre-backs– swept a pass to the unmarked Jochem Ritmeester van de Kamp, who cut onto his right foot and powered a low drive past Timon Wellenreuther into the far corner. As Ritmeester van de Kamp went into a knee slide in celebration, the sold-out away end burst into song, sensing that another shock away win was on the cards after August’s triumph at PSV. 

Telstar’s delirium threatened to turn to despair a few minutes later, when Feyenoord were awarded a penalty and Gerald Alders shown a straight red card for a tug on Jordan Bos in the box. Alders’ blushes were spared by VAR, which spotted that Bos had started from an offside position. Telstar were allowed to continue with their full complement of players, but soon lost the lead anyway. Anis Hadj Moussa was the scorer, hitting a low shot which Ronald Koeman Jr should have saved; instead, the ball slipped under his gloves and trickled over the line. It was a rare blunder from Koeman Jr, the son of the Dutch national team manager who has distinguished himself with several excellent performances this season. 

The final fifteen minutes of the opening period proceeded at a frantic pace. Nökkvi Thórisson, Telstar’s Icelandic striker, twice went close to restoring his team’s lead. On the first occasion, he rounded Anel Ahmedhodzic before curling a shot which Wellenreuther did well to tip wide; the second chance saw Thórisson clean through on Wellenreuther, only to have his attempt blocked by the German keeper. Those two wasted opportunities came back to bite Telstar as Hadj Moussa put Feyenoord in front, creeping in front of Danny Bakker to turn home Bos’ cross following a fluid Feyenoord move down the left. Luciano Valente nearly added a scarcely-deserved third for the hosts, slaloming though the Telstar half like an Olympic ski run, then pumping an effort on goal which Koeman Jr just managed to repel. By the end of the half even the spectators needed to catch their breath. 

The second half was much more placid than the first, shots few and far between, but the biggest cheer of the night came fifteen minutes after the restart. There had already been a roar when Sterling’s name was read out before the match, and again as he went to warm up along the touchline, and De Kuip rose to its feet as he entered the pitch, replacing Gijs Smal on the left wing. It had been 273 days since Sterling had made his last competitive appearance, playing for Arsenal at Southampton on 25 May, and his first touch came when Valente released him with a searching ball down the left. Sterling elected not to try dribbling past Ogidi Nwankwo, instead choosing a safe pass back to Mats Deijl that was still greeted with olés from the stands.

There were no flashes of brilliance from Sterling or his teammates in the second half, and Telstar nearly managed to snatch a point at the death. Tyrese Noslin’s header was parried by Wellenreuther, who then smothered Jelani Seedorf’s scuffed shot after the Telstar substitute had won the rebound. For all the hype and excitement around the arrival of Sterling, the mood was one of relief at the final whistle. Feyenoord have their star man aboard, but the ship remains in choppy waters.