Feyenoord just couldn’t win a crazy home game in the quarterfinals of the Conference League on Thursday evening. Arne Slot’s team first took the deserved lead against Slavia Prague via star player Luis Sinisterra, but then fell behind. Marcos Senesi and Orkun Kökçü seemed to shoot Feyenoord to a victory, but in the absolute final seconds it still went wrong: 3-3.
Slot had a surprise in the house beforehand by putting Bryan Linssen in the base. The striker had lost his place last month to Cyriel Dessers, who now had to make do with a half-hour substitute. Feyenoord started the match unparalleled in the swirling Kuip and took an early lead on the basis of Sinisterra. The Colombian was launched in a flashy counter by Reiss Nelson, cut in from the left and lashed out viciously in the short corner: 1-0. Shortly afterwards, Sinisterra put back on Orkun Kökçü, who hit the bar, and encountered Ondrej Kolar’s fists on a shot moments later.
Slavia also showed themselves here and there and the Czechs forced a clumsy equalizer just before half-time. Peter Olayinka first shot the ball on the left side of the penalty area on the block of the sliding Marcus Pedersen and had a handy marker in the rebound that goalkeeper Ofir Marciano was too powerful: 1-1. On the goal line, teammate Ivan Sor made a clear attempt to tap the ball in an offside position, so that the goal should not have counted. Feyenoord was furious about that decision and strongly objected to referee Halil Umut Meler at the halftime signal. The Turk decided to send Marino Pusic, assistant coach at Feyenoord, away with a red card.
After the break, the first threatening moments were for Feyenoord. Guus Til turned away nicely in the penalty area and saw his shot being turned with great difficulty by Kolar. Gernot Trauner hit the side net from a cross from Kökçü. Slavia also became dangerous in the counterattack. Sor mowed wildly in free position, but at a difficult angle, but moments later it was still hit. Ivan Schranz brought the ball dangerously in front of the goal, where Sor tapped in on the goal line after hesitating intervention by Marciano: 1-2. Feyenoord then fought its way out of trouble very handsomely. Senesi sent Dessers away over the left with a heel and finished his cross – somewhat fortunately – with the belly: 2-2. Next came Kökçü, who surprisingly popped a free kick from the side of the field into the short corner and saw Kolar dove dramatically over the ball: 3-2.
Feyenoord seemed on the way to victory, but in the very last seconds of the match Slavia still scored. Again it was a scrimmage goal that killed Feyenoord, with Trauner not getting the ball away just in front of his goal and Ibrahim Traoré conjured up a chopper from close range: 3-3.