Wednesday, December 1, 2021 at 9:59 PM• Daniel Cabot Kerkdijk • Last update: 22:02

Feyenoord is the new number two in the Eredivisie. The team of trainer Arne Slot was too strong for Heracles Almelo on Wednesday evening with minimal difference: the make-up game in De Kuip ended in 2-1 thanks to two goals from Luis Sinisterra, who also saw a goal disallowed in the opening phase. Feyenoord passes PSV in the ranking and is only one point behind leader Ajax: 32 to 33 points. The team from Rotterdam has already been unbeaten for seven league matches in a row after Wednesday. That has not happened since December last year, when they did not lose in the first 26 competition matches under Dick Advocaat.

The game in De Kuip was originally scheduled to be played on Sunday, September 12, but was moved, among other things, because the Conference League-game between Maccabi Haifa and Feyenoord was postponed to Tuesday, September 14. After a sloppy opening phase from both sides, it was Feyenoord that was the first to hit the net. Giacomo Quagliata lost the ball to Alireza Jahanbakhsh, after which Sinisterra was quickly brought into position by Fredrik Aursnes and he scored. Although Bas Nijhuis made it clear several times with gestures that he thought there was no violation by Jahanbakhsh, VAR Marc Nagtegaal thought otherwise. The arbiter on duty rejected the opening goal in minute eleven with some reluctance.

Referee Bas Nijhuis disapproves of Luis Sinisterra’s 1-0 after the intervention of the VAR after a foul by Alireza Jahanbakhsh! ? Fairly or unfairly? #?? #feyher pic.twitter.com/2NYcQEMRPD

— ESPN NL (@ESPNnl) Dec 1, 2021

Immediately after the setback for Feyenoord, it also became 0-1 for Heracles. Sinan Bakis pushed the ball in after Lutsharel Geertruida lost the ball carelessly. A few minutes later, Heracles was put down when Ismail Azzaoui grabbed his knee after a duel with Tyrell Malacia, groaning in pain and eventually had to be stretched off the field. Feyenoord tried to clear the deficit before half-time, but attempts by Guus Til and Malacia lacked precision.

In the seventh minute of extra time, after a good chance for Bryan Linssen, Slot’s team still equalized: Orkun Kökçü simply put substitute Bilal Basaçikoglu aside and saw how Sinisterra scored the 1st goal through the hands of Janis Blaswich. -1 on the scoreboard. The nine minutes of extra time was also full of high-profile moments. Quagliata arrived much too late for Gernot Trauner and could not complain about the yellow card he received from Nijhuis. Not much later, a spectacular effort by Marcos Senesi ended but just not in the goal of the Almelo team.

Delano Burgzorg had a great chance five minutes after the break to give Heracles the lead again. He was allowed to go for goalkeeper Ofir Marciano on his own, but looked indecisive and then played the ball way too far in front of him. Til also managed not to score almost ten minutes later with an unmissable opportunity. He took way too much time and then ran into Blaswich. For Basaçikoglu, the replacement for Azzaoui in minute 24, the game was surprisingly over after an hour of play. He was anything but a pleasant substitute and also suffered from a ball in his face.

It was again Sinisterra who took Feyenoord by the hand. The attacker escaped Heracles’ attention twenty minutes before the end and then aimed the ball into the far corner: 2-1. In the remainder of the match, Heracles was allowed to make the game and Feyenoord withdrew somewhat, but without result because there was no final offensive. In extra time a header by Bakis went over. Reiss Nelson replaced Jahanbakhsh ten minutes before the end, who could not convince in his first base place since October 31 in the Eredivisie. Heracles remains fourteenth after the defeat, with fourteen points from as many matches.