Fluent Feyenoord finish the job against FC Luzern
Feyenoord booked their place in the Europa Conference League play-offs in convincing fashion on Thursday evening at De Kuip. The hosts backed up last week’s 3-0 win in Switzerland with a similar score line in front of their own fans, completing a resounding aggregate victory. Alireza Jahanbakhsh was the main man for Feyenoord, netting his first two goals for the club. But it was also an unforgettable evening for two young guns, Lennard Hartjes and Antoni Milambo.
Progress to the play-off round of the ECL was virtually beyond doubt for Feyenoord after their Swiss trip, but that did not dampen celebrations when the hosts edged ahead in the early stages of the return. The goal fell to Alireza Jahanbakhsh, his first in Feyenoord colours.
The Iranian winger applied the finishing touch to a sweeping counterattack on 10 minutes. The move started with Guus Til, who stole the ball in midfield. It came to Luis Sinisterra, who played in Jahanbakhsh. Eye-to-eye with the FC Luzern keeper Vaso Vasic, Jahanbakhsh kept his cool, scoring off the inside of the right post.
Though four up on aggregate, Feyenoord did not back off, harassing the Swiss all over the pitch. Those tactics led to a clutch of chances for the hosts. The second goal came on 34 minutes. Jens Toornstra won the ball on the halfway line and played it straight in to Jahanbakhsh. The Iranian controlled, turned and smashed the ball into the left-hand side of the net.
Jahanbakhsh didn’t get a chance to add to his double strike as he was forced off with an injury not long after. But that did not stop Feyenoord from grabbing a third goal of the evening. Early in the second half Toornstra again found the killer pass, this time to Sinisterra on the left. The Colombian stepped inside and curled an effort into the right-hand corner.
With the game and the tie done and dusted, coach Arne Slot took the opportunity to make some changes. Tyrell Malacia, Orkun Kökcü, Guus Til and Sinisterra were all given a rest, with Lennard Hartjes (18) and Antoni Milambo making their debuts among those coming on. At 16 years and 131 days, Milambo booked his place in the record books as the youngest player ever to represent the club.
The 6-0 aggregate win along with the 2-1 friendly victory against Atlético Madrid will have certainly given Feyenoord plenty of confidence ahead of the start of the Eredivisie season on Sunday. First up for Feyenoord in that competition is a trip to Willem II. That will be followed by the first leg of the Europa Conference League play-offs next Thursday (kick-off 20:00 CET), when Swedish club Elfsborg provide the opposition at De Kuip.
- Feyenoord 1
- Alireza Jahanbakhsh
- Antoni Milambo
- Lennard Hartjes
- Luis Sinisterra