Feyenoord leave Eindhoven with hard-earned point

Feyenoord arrived in Eindhoven on the back of ten straight wins, with hosts PSV struggling to regain any sort of form after a poor run. And that was very clear to anyone watching the opening stages of the encounter

Feyenoord were rock-like in defence, giving the hosts little  in the way of opportunities early on. Denzel Dumfries went closest on behalf of the hosts with a header, but the best chance at the other end fell to Róbert Bozeník. The striker squeezed his effort just wide from an incisive Steven Berghuis free kick.

Orkun Kökcü and Jens Toornstra also gave home keeper Lars Unnerstall cause for concern, but neither effort came to aught. Eric Botteghin’s effort on 33 minutes changed the complexion of the game, however. The Brazilian modded on in a Kökcü corner, leaving Unnerstall with no chance.

Feyenoord went in ahead at the break, with the plan of defending the lead as long as possible to force PSV into desperate measures. Unfortunately, the ploy was soon made redundant as the hosts drew level on 47 minutes. Jorrit Hendrix found Ryan Thomas with a lofted ball. He passed to Cody Gakpo, who scored in the far corner.

With the scores level, both sides started to look to what they had rather than what they could get.  The chances virtually dried at both ends, with the biggest falling to Bozeník again. The striker met Tyrell Malacia’s cross well, getting his shot on target, but Unnerstall deflected it onto the post with a find reflex save.

Feyenoord almost snatched the win when Denzel Dumfries looked to have handled in the box, but referee Dennis Higler was not asked to review the incident by the VAR officials and the match ended all-square. It was a result that Advocaat was able to live with, the coach confirmed after the final whistle, as it left Feyenoord a point ahead of their rivals in the table.