Feyenoord draw against Sparta in Rotterdam derby; PSV score seven in Almere
Feyenoord failed to win for the second time in three matches in the Eredivisie on Sunday. Brian Priske’s side failed to win the Rotterdam derby, drawing 1-1 with Sparta Rotterdam.
It was a hectic start to the match in Rotterdam. Tobias Lauritsen hit the crossbar with a header, which was only held out by a fantastic save by Feyenoord goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther. This was followed by shots from Gijval Zechiël and Igor Paixao from Feyenoord. This all happened within the first six minutes.
The ball hit the woodwork again in the 15th minute when David Hancko headed against the post from a corner.
Sparta took the lead in the 34th minute with a fantastic goal from Camiel Neghli. Wellenreuther had come out of his goal to win a header far outside the box, which then saw the ball fall to Neghli’s feet. Even though a Feyenoord defender had run back to the goalline, Neghli volleyed it towards goal and saw it bounce into the far corner.
Lauritsen missed a significant chance to make it 2-0 in the 56th minute. Wellenreuther palmed out Arno Verschueren’s shot from a long distance to Lauritsen, who side-footed it wide.
It proved costly as Feyenoord equalized four minutes later. Quinten Timber spun in the box before smashing it hard into the net via the hands of Sparta goalkeeper Nick Olij.
A minute later, Ramis Zerrouki was sent off for Feyenoord. The Moroccan midfielder had been booked for a yellow card, and he also mistimed a tackle in the second half, which resulted in a second yellow.
Feyenoord will have to turn their form around quickly, as their next match is the Klassieker against arch-rivals Ajax.
PSV had a much better weekend. Despite the moderate chaos in the club with several players requesting a transfer, the Eindhovenaren made no mistake away against Almere, scoring seven goals in a 1-7 win.
Almere’s defending was very poor, leaving Guus Til completely unmarked in the tenth minute, which the midfielder took advantage of to score. It was 2-0 five minutes later when Joey Veerman’s corner was volleyed home by Luuk de Jong.
The home side seemed to get their defensive organization back in shape, limiting PSV to one shot, which hit the crossbar from Luuk de Jong in the next 40 minutes after the goal.
They even got a goal back in the 57th minute. Kornelius Norman Hanssen struggled to get the ball out of his feet initially but made up for it by placing the ball past goalkeeper Walter Benitez on the turn.
PSV got their two-goal lead back in the 65th minute when Cohaib Driouch’s shot was deflected into the far corner. Six minutes later, PSV had another. Veerman picked out Malik Tillman, whose finish was sublime.
An own goal by Almere defender Theo Barbet made it 1-5 in the 78th minute before goals from Hirving Lozano and Ricardo Pepi made it 1-7.
PSV is top of the league with a two-point lead on FC Groningen, who are still unbeaten after three games. FC Utrecht and AZ are level on points with the Groningers. Fortuna Sittard has played two games but has them both.
It is looking like a tough season for Almere. The side has lost all three games this season and has a goal difference of -10. The other two sides to have lost all three of their games are PEC Zwolle and RKC Waalwijk.
