Feyenoord escape with 1-1 draw despite poor display against Twente in De Kuip

Feyenoord somehow managed to escape with a draw at home to FC Twente on Sunday despite another poor performance from Robin van Persie’s side. Gonçalo Borges’ fantastic finish earned the home team a draw after some poor finishing from Twente led to them failing to build on the early lead through Daan Rots.

It may be a vital point for Van Persie, who has been under intense pressure as Feyenoord manager after a poor run of form. The Rotterdammers have won four out of their last 10 games and will now be more or less ruled out for the title, with PSV going into the winter break with an 11-point lead.

Van Persie made a few changes to the team that got beaten by SC Heerenveen in the KNVB Cup. Gonçalo Borges was brought into the team ahead of Aymen Sliti, and Jan Plug came into the side to replace Jordan Bos. Sondre Ørjasæter came back into the Twente side, replacing Marko Pjaca.

It was a lot of the same for Feyenoord in the first half. Van Persie’s side failed to register a shot on target, with the visitors dominating the game completely. Some average finishing from Twente striker Sam Lammers kept the home side alive.

Lammers’ first chance came in the 17th minute. A cross from Daan Rots hit the striker’s foot before goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther knocked it over the goal with a fantastic save. The resulting corner also forced a smart stop from the German, with Rots’ cross towards the far corner getting knocked away.

Twente took the lead in the 19th minute. Rots kept finding space, and it proved costly when Bart van Rooij played a pass to him in the box, which the winger then placed into the far corner. It is his third goal in his last five games, a significant improvement on his goal record prior to John van den Brom’s appointment.

The chances kept coming for Twente. A corner was knocked down by Wellenreuther to former Ajax player Kristian Hlynsson, but his shot was blocked by one of the many defenders in the Feyenoord goal.

Lammers missed the biggest chance of the half in the 43rd minute.Ørjasæter played the pass to the striker, who attempted to dribble around Wellenreuther before finishing, but the German saved the attempt.

Feyenoord came out well for the second half. First, Leo Sauer cut inside and forced Lars Unnerstal into their first save of the game, before the next corner led to a deflected shot by Hwang In-Beom, which the German knocked wide.

The other German keeper on the pitch, Wellenreuther, kept Feyenoord in the game with another important save in the 50th minute. Van Rooij cut inside in the box before his low driven effort to the near post was saved.

Pjaca, who had come on for the injured Ørjasæter, got his first chance to score in the 68th minute, but his header was straight at Wellenreuther.

This came a few minutes before Feyenoord created their first real chance of the game. Substitute Aymen Sliti pulled the ball back in the box to Ayase Ueda, but his side-footed effort went over the goal.

Feyenoord equalized in the 74th minute. Anel Ahmedhozic came forward and played a great deft pass into the path of Borges, and his finish was magnificent, an outside-the-foot pearler into the far corner.

But the home side were dealt a huge blow a minute later when Luciano Valente was sent off for a lapse in judgement, with the midfielder hacking down Rots, having already been booked.

The ball just would not go in for Twente. Ricky van Wolfswinkel was next to miss a significant chance when Thomas van der Belt found him in the box, and his effort was blocked, and then his second effort went over.

Rots was next to miss a chance to score when he got to a cross before Sliti, but failed to guide his header towards the goal. And the final big chance of the game came to captain Robin Propper, who headed over from inside the six-yard box from a Rots corner.

There were loud whistles inside De Kuip at the end of the game, although the reception was a lot more positive when Van Persie and his players did a lap around the pitch a few minutes later.

Both teams will now go into the winter break, with the first games back coming on January 11. Feyenoord have a difficult one straight away, traveling to Heerenveen. FC Twente hosts PEC Zwolle.