Feyenoord pick up an easy win in Almelo
Feyenoord picked up an easy win at Heracles Almelo. The number 15 in the Eredivisie table had no chance against the reigning champions with interim manager Hendrie Kruzen as they lost 0-4. Arne Slot’s side bounced back from their 2-1 loss to Celtic on Wednesday.
Feyenoord have not been as convincing as they were at the start of the season in the last few weeks. Their last Eredivisie match was only won in injury time at home to FC Volendam (3-1). They lost three games in a row in the UEFA Champions League to Lazio, Atletico Madrid, and Celtic. Because of this, they will be playing in the Europa League after the winter break.
Heracles hoped to profit from new energy in front of their home crowd after sacking John Lammers earlier this week. The last straw for the manager was the 2-0 loss at Vitesse last week, which was their fifth loss in their previous six matches.
Feyenoord were dominant from the start of the match. It led to the opening goal by Calvin Stengs in the fourth minute. The Oranje international scored from the edge of the area after an attack through the middle.
The Rotterdammers played the ball around patiently without creating too much. Quilindschy Hartman created the 2-0 from Stengs with a low cross in the 18th minute. The attacker tapped home his fifth league goal of the season from close range. Feyenoord gave the home side more space on the counter, but it did not lead to any big chances.
Defender Lutsharel Geertruida ended any chances of Feyenoord dropping points by heading home at the far post from a Stengs corner. Quinten Timber made it 4-0 with a low shot from distance after an hour played. Feyenoord played the rest of the game out patiently, although there were chances for a bigger scoreline.
With this win, Feyenoord closed the gap to PSV to seven points. The Eindhovenaren face AZ in Alkmaar on Sunday evening. Slot’s side has one match left before the winter break against FC Utrecht in the cup on Wednesday. Heracles are already knocked out in the cup.