Slot uses 29 players in 120 minutes against ADO

Extending the length of the match gave both coaches the opportunity to test a few things out, with Arne Slot giving a run out to some players who have not seen much action lately. Ahead of kick-off, the Feyenoord head coach had stated that his starters against FC Drita in recent the ECL qualifiers would only get half an hour. The exception proving the rule was Alireza Jahanbakhsh, who played for 45 minutes.

Many of the 7,500 or so fans in the stadium will have focused their attention on Gernot Trauner in the opening hour. The Austrian was contracted at the start of the week and ADO Den Haag was his first appearance in a Feyenoord shirt. He started by partnering Marcos Senesi in defence and when the Argentinian was taken off he hooked up with Wouter Burger.

As the game progressed the home side’s average age started to fall. Slot eventually used all 29 players in his match-day squad, with a lot of young guns ultimately making their bow, especially after the first part of the game. They included Twan van der Zeeuw, Noah Naujoks and Mimeirhel Benita as substitutes in the second part. On the downside, Antoni Milambo and Christian Conteh were both forced off prematurely with injuries.

Though there was little in the way of spectacle, Feyenoord did look to be on track to win the game. That would have been justified based on the chances the hosts created. Two efforts hit the post and a third rattled the bar. The breakthrough came on 80 minutes, when Róbert Bozeník converted a penalty, after Marouan Azarkan had been hauled down in the box.

But Feyenoord surrendered the lead with five minutes of the two hours left to play. Yahya Boussakou was put through on keeper Thijs Jansen and he netted. It meant the sides ended all square. Slot and his men will now turn their focus to their forthcoming Swiss trip, ahead of Thursday’s Europa Conference League third qualifying round first leg tie against FC Luzern.