Feyenoord pick up a convincing 4-2 win against Sparta Prague in the Champions League
Feyenoord picked up an important 4-2 win at home against Sparta Prague in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday. Three first-half goals from Gernot Trauner, Igor Paixao, and Anis Hadj Moussa held Brian Priske’s side to the victory, with Santiago Gimenez getting the team’s final goal.
The win puts Feyenoord in a qualifying spot for the playoff round. They are now 18th out of the 36 teams. Teams from 12th to 24th place make it to the playoff round. There are two fixtures left in the league phase, with Priske’s side facing two tough opponents in Bayern Munich and Lille.
Feyenoord started the match with defenders Gernot Trauner and Bart Nieuwkoop in the starting 11. Both players did not start the 2-3 win against RKC Waalwijk at the weekend.
Although the Czech visitors made a promising start, it was Feyenoord who took the lead after eight minutes played. A corner by Anis Hadj Moussa was headed toward goal by Trauner and was deflected in via Sparta defender Martin Vitík.
It was 2-0 straight from the kick-off. Kaan Kairinen lost the ball in the midfield, which led to Igor Paixao running toward goal before shooting an inch-perfect shot into the bottom corner from around 25 yards.
The crowd in De Kuip was enjoying themselves as Feyenoord almost made it 3-0 a short while later. Nieuwkoop’s chip in the box fell perfectly for Antoni Milambo, but his volley was straight at Peter Vindahl Jensen in the Sparta goal.
However, the 3-0 came anyway in the 30th minute. This time it was the other Feyenoord winger who showed his shooting prowess. Hadj Moussa cut inside from the right before curling a beautiful shot into the far corner.
However, the visitors gave Feyenoord something to think about before halftime as they got a goal back. A long throw was headed on by Feyenoord midfielder Hwang In-Beom to Albion Rrahmani, who slid the ball into the far corner to make it 3-1 going into halftime.
Another mistake by the visitors resulted in Feyenoord getting their fourth goal in the 63rd minute. A cross by Hadj Moussa was sliced by Lukas Sadilek, and Santiago Gimenez reacted quicker than the goalkeeper and defence to prod it home.
Sparta still did not give up, and after having a goal disallowed minutes earlier, they got their second goal in the 79th minute. A cross to the near post was diverted into the net by Feyenoord defender Thomas Beelen.
However, this goal did not lead to any more danger from the Czech side, as the final phase of the game was completed in a calm manner for Feyenoord. This was their first home win in the Champions League this season.
The Rotterdammers have three more matches before the Christmas break. Their first is against Heracles next Saturday.
