Early goal enough for much-needed victory in Utrecht

Thanks to Nijmegen's victory on Saturday evening (4-1 at home against Heracles Almelo), Feyenoord knew it had to win the lunchtime match to finish round 22 in a position that would qualify it for Champions League football.

Despite the early kick-off time, Feyenoord was fully focused. Oussama Targhalline opened the scoring in the tenth minute after a quick combination with Jakub Moder, who started in the starting line-up for the first time since his return. The Pole also played as a striker, partly due to the absence of Ayase Ueda.

While Feyenoord played well in the first half and easily held their own, they had to fight much harder after the break. Despite a few precarious moments in front of the goal of star player Timon Wellenreuther, they managed to hold on to their lead, securing their first away win since the one at Telstar at the end of November.

Feyenoord's next league match is at home against Go Ahead Eagles on Sunday 15 February (kick-off 12:15). Luciano Valente and Timon Wellenreuther will be suspended due to the yellow cards they both received in Utrecht.