Bozeník strikes late in stormy Zwolle

Dick Advocaat had warned his team about the danger lurking in Zwolle, based on recent history, but his side were caught short early on anyway. Feyenoord had lost five of the last seven encounters in Overijssel and with a eleven minutes played on Sunday it looked like the hosts would extend that run. It was 2-0 by then, following Lennart Thy’s spot kick after Marcos Senesi was pulled up for handball and Mike van Duinen’s deflected shot.

With the wind blowing hard and the artificial surface slippery underfoot, the hosts seemed to be sitting pretty. But Feyenoord gradually began to take control as the half wore on and Leroy Fer managed to pull a goal back six minutes before the break.

The fight-back continued into the second half, with Steven Berghuis beating the home keeper for height with a delightful hard drive from distance to level. But with all the signs now pointing to Feyenoord completing the perfect comeback, the hosts struck back. PEC Zwolle had scarcely threatened Justin Bijlow’s goal since the two early strikes, but Thy turned the match on its head again on the hour, edging his side into a 3-2 lead.

Undeterred, the visitors came again and the equaliser arrived on 65 minutes. Man of the match Berghuis scored it with a diagonal drive. It was a clear sign of the mental resilience of the current Feyenoord squad.

Feyenoord went all out for the win and their determination was rewarded with two minutes remaining. On for the injured Sinisterra, substitute Bozeník scored his first Eredivisie goal with a shot that was deflected off a PEC defender. The Slovak was clearly delighted with the strike, whipping off his shirt in his celebrations. The resulting yellow card was taken on the chin.

The final whistle confirmed Feyenoord’s sixth successive league victory and the travelling fans whooped it up in the away section in the knowledge that their side had regained third place, four points behind second-placed AZ.