Feyenoord hit three to end the year with flair

Ahead of kick-off Slot had said that he didn’t want his side to change its style. It could have been seen as an intriguing remark, given Feyenoord had lost two and drawn one going into the game. But the head coach was referring to the run of fixtures leading into the recent hiccups, which had got Feyenoord to the upper reaches of the Eredivisie table and through to the knockout stages of the UECL.

Dominant
The players on the pitch clearly heard the message, as Feyenoord quickly got into their stride. The visitors were dominant in the Frisian heartland, creating a raft of chances. 

The opener came just past the half-hour mark and it was claimed by Guus Til. The midfielder celebrated his 24th birthday by sliding the ball into the right-hand corner to give his side the lead. The margin was doubled a minute later. Marcos Senesi met Orkun Kökcü’s corner with a bullet header. 

Corner variant
Kökcü was also heavily involved in the third goal on 58 minutes. He found himself taking another corner, but instead of swinging it into the box, this time he played it short to Tyrell Malacia. The defender pumped the ball in from a slightly different angle, finding Bryan Linssen, who redirected it into the back of the net. Til had moved alongside Linssen at the top of the scoring charts with his opener, but Linssen’s strike saw him pull ahead of his teammate again.

The win leaves Feyenoord third in the league with 39 points from 18 matches going into the winter break. In preparation for the resumption, the squad will spend a short week in southern Spain from Monday 3 January. The Eredivisie returns on Saturday 15 January (kick-off 20:00 CET) with a home fixture against Vitesse.