‘Don’t want to call it luck anymore’
NOS Football–
No team this premier league season is picking up as many points after falling behind as Feyenoord. Eighteen points. Is that mental resilience the secret of the frontrunner? “We did need a bit of luck,” said coach Arne Slot after the 2-1 home win over AZ.
Three of those 18 points Feyenoord gained after falling behind, the Rotterdammers credited Saturday night at De Kuip with a late win over AZ.
“Perhaps our least top game in terms of soccer, but it was the best result,” analyzed Slot, who after draws against Ajax and PSV saw his team now win a top game through a deflected shot by Marcus Pedersen.
‘Rest of my life’
“When you work so hard … People call it luck. I don’t want to call it luck anymore,” said the matchwinner, who made De Kuip explode with joy. “I will remember this for the rest of my life.”
It became not the topper of footballing feats, but of the fight for every blade of grass. Mats Wieffer was one of six players with yellow, though some fouls were on the edge.
“Today was purely about results,” Wieffer said. “This is a very nice one, it couldn’t be better.”
Rewarded for will and ambition
According to Slot, Feyenoord made the most claim for victory out of both teams. “We showed will and ambition. And for that we were rewarded. Absolutely, by a stroke of luck,” he recalled.
It all started with a corner for Feyenoord, to the annoyance of AZ coach Jansen. He wanted to show that his team could not have taken over first place in the standings for nothing. “We are still learning when it comes to decisive moments,” he said.
