Feyenoord firmer in lead, through late win over direct pursuer AZ

Feyenoord consolidated their lead in the premier league. Marcus Pedersen set De Kuip ablaze, scoring the winning goal in the topper against AZ in the last minute with a shot that changed direction: 2-1.

Feyenoord is now five points ahead of AZ. Ajax can take over second place in the standings on Sunday with a win over Sparta Rotterdam and move three points clear of the Rotterdammers.

Watch the standings and post-match interviews below.

For a long time there seemed to be no winner, as chances were scarce. It thus did not become a high-class topper, but it was an exciting one.

When Feyenoord player Javairô Dilrosun headed a corner hard into his own goal, AZ was virtually first in the standings for a while. But in the extra time of the first half, Alireza Jahanbakhsh restored the balance with a placed header.

That both teams did not play their best game was also due to the large number of absentees. Feyenoord were missing Justin Bijlow, Orkun Kökcü, Sebastian Szymanski and Gernot Trauner, among others, while AZ were missing Dani de Wit, Maxim Dekker, Sam Beukema and Bruno Martins Indi.

In a stadium that was transformed into a vibrant soccer temple of international stature by an atmosphere action beforehand, the teams soon sought the limits of the permissible. The high sporting stakes translated into five yellow cards before halftime, mostly for solid fouls.

Football-wise, both teams found it difficult to create chances. After uncertainty with the far-out Timon Wellenreuther, Quilindschy Hartman had to support Bijlow’s stand-in in the Feyenoord goal with out defending, but after Dilrosun’s well-intentioned help, the 0-1 fell anyway.

Feyenoord’s first goal attempt was only just before halftime, when Quinten Timber shot wide. Then a classy flash from two former AZ players translated into the equalizer.

Both Jahanbakhsh and Oussama Idrissi left AZ after fine transfers abroad and hope to revive their careers at Feyenoord. Idrissi’s cross was one like in his best days, Jahanbakhsh’s header betrayed the Iranian’s growing confidence.

He was almost forgotten, among all the new players Feyenoord had brought in this season. But with crucial goals against FC Utrecht, PSV and now AZ, the former 2023 premier league top scorer has found his feet again.

In the striker at Feyenoord, hand-binder Santiago Giménez showed why coach Arne Slot has preferred him to club leading scorer Danilo of late. With three moments in the second half, the Mexican was the man who could have still decided the topper.

Twice Giménez headed wide, on a Jahanbakhsh cross and later more dangerously from a Hartman cross. And with a blast into the far corner, he brought De Kuip a few moments into the delusion that Feyenoord were going to decide the game earlier, but he was offside.

In the final minute, Feyenoord did get lucky when Jesper Karlsson touched Pedersen’s effort.