Feyenoord can only in theory miss a place in the group stage of the Conference League. Arne Slot’s team played convincingly against IF Elfsborg on Thursday evening and handed the Swedish opponent a 5-0 defeat in De Kuip. Luis Sinisterra was the big man with three goals. A blemish on the victory was a red card for Justin Bijlow in the final phase; Elfsborg also ended the game with ten men.
Feyenoord set a club record: for the first time in history, the team was accurate at least three times in four consecutive European matches. Against Elfsborg, the club only needed one half to score three times. Feyenoord played fresh and dominant football, never ran into problems in the back and opened the score in minute 25 via Sinisterra, who was already the most dangerous man before with two goals. The left winger received a turning cross from Jens Toornstra and headed through the grass.
Five minutes after the opening goal, Alireza Jahanbakhsh made it 2-0. The summer acquisition, who was fit enough to kick-off to the relief of trainer Arne Slot, received the ball in the penalty area after a low free kick from Toornstra and shot hard. Eight minutes before the break, Bryan Linssen sent a nice cross pass to Sinisterra with the left leg, after which the Colombian pulled in from the left flank and successfully sought the far corner.
Sinisterra became the fourth Colombian ever to score a hat-trick in a European game in the second half, after Alfredo Morelos (Rangers), Faustino Asprilla (Newcastle United) and Radamel Falcao (FC Porto, Atlético Madrid), because he again headed well towards the ground. , this time after a cross from the steamy Marcus Pedersen. Bryan Linssen then made it 5-0. After a corner, Guus Til ran into the keeper, but Linssen scored in the rebound.
Because former Sparta Rotterdam midfielder Frederik Holst then received his second yellow card for a foul on Sinisterra, the situation for Elfsborg apparently became even more hopeless. But Feyenoord also had to close the game with ten men. In minute eighty Justin Bijlow came out of his goal to prevent a chance from Marokhy Ndione, but in the duel for the ball the substitute from Elfsborg went to the ground. The referee judged it a foul on a broken-up player and sent Bijlow off, leaving Sinisterra to be replaced by goalkeeper Ofir Marciano. There were no more great opportunities.