Alireza Jahanbakhsh thoroughly enjoyed the way Feyenoord performed against IF Elfsborg (5-0) in the Conference League play-offs on Thursday evening. Even the red card for goalkeeper Justin Bijlow in the final phase of the match could not take away the good feeling of Jahanbakhsh. “That red card was a real shame, but hopefully it will be easy in the second game and then we will have him back in the group stage,” Jahanbakhsh told Feyenoord’s official channels.
Jahanbakhsh described the first game between Feyenoord and IF Elfsborg as ‘a fantastic match’. “We were leading 3-0 at half time. In the second half we continued to score more goals. Playing there can be difficult with artificial grass. But we played very well. 5-0, it couldn’t get any better. We can’t give it away anymore, but I’m not saying it will be very easy there.”
?? A beautiful action by Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Marcus Holmgren Pedersen by giving our camerawoman Marleen a helping hand! ?? pic.twitter.com/qRvUXsSM2
— ESPN NL (@ESPNnl) August 19, 2021
“We’re going full throttle again to win there and keep a clean sheet to go through to the group stage with a good feeling.” Jahanbakhsh starred in a separate moment, with IF Elfsborg’s Simon Strand knocking out an ESPN camerawoman. “That was not very smart of that boy. After that action I thought I should help her. Marcus Pedersen also helped for a while. We tried to put the camera back upright.”
“It wasn’t very smart of that player,” Jahanbakhsh repeated. “But I just had to help her and I did.” Captain Jens Toornstra, who was of value with two assists, emphasizes that Feyenoord must also stay on track next week. “We have a good prospect, but today there was a lack of concentration in the last fifteen minutes. That’s a small blemish. If we play the way we played here in the first half, nothing can happen to us next week.”
Due to the resounding victory, next week’s return in Sweden seems like a formality. Feyenoord, which settled with FC Drita in the second preliminary round of the Conference League, also had no child in the Swiss FC Luzern in the third preliminary round (two victories from 3-0).