Feyenoord destroy Sturm Graz to take the top spot in their Europa League group
Feyenoord got their Europa League campaign back on track on Thursday by hammering Austrian side Sturm Graz at home. The Rotterdammers won 6-0 with goals from Alireza Jahanbakhsh, David Hancko, Danilo Pereira, Santiago Gimenez, and Oussama Idrissi.
Sturm Graz is currently third in the Austrian league and also won their first match in this Europa League group last week against FC Midtjylland, beating the Danes 1-0. Feyenoord was outclassed in their first match getting beat in Rome by SS Lazio 4-2.
However, Arne Slot’s team was determined to turn the tide around in this match and made a perfect start when Iranian winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh scored after nine minutes. A quickly taken free kick found Jahanbakhsh on the right side of the box; Jahanbakhsh pretended to cross but then fooled the keeper by shooting, sending him the wrong way.
Feyenoord doubled their lead after half an hour with a well-worked goal. David Hancko played a lovely one-two with Oussama Idrissi before finishing past Jorg Siebenhandl in the Sturm Graz net. Feyenoord was giving the Austrian side a footballing lesson in de Kuip.
If the Hancko goal was well worked, the next goal was a masterpiece two minutes later. A crossfield ball found Idrissi, who then backheeled it into the path of the onrushing left-back Marcos Lopez, who then laid the ball back into the direction of Danilo Pereira to roll it into the empty net. The players of Sturm Graz looked shocked at the quality of play on display by the Rotterdammers.
Feyenoord made it four before halftime, and it was Jahanbakhsh again whose shot was given a fortunate deflection off the legs of Jusuf Gazibegovic to help it loop over Siebenhandl into the Sturm Graz net.
The 34.332 fans in de Kuip rose to their feet to applaud the home team at the halftime whistle.
As often happens in matches where one team has dominated, Feyenoord took their foot off the gas in the second half.
Feyenoord still found time to add two more goals, with the first the result of two substitutes combining as Patrik Walemark’s cross found Santiago Gimenez. He made it three goals out of two Europa League games after his double last week against Lazio.
Oussama Idrissi put the cherry on top with a goal from 30 yards. His shot hit the inside of the post before going in after 77 minutes played.
There was a shock result in the other match in this group, with FC Midtjylland beating Lazio 5-1. Feyenoord, who was at the bottom of the group before the game started, finished this match week top of the group on goal difference. Every team in the group is level on points, with every team having one win and one loss from two games.
