Despite Feyenoord’s division of points against RKC Waalwijk (2-2) it was an evening for Reiss Nelson to remember. The attacker made his debut against the Brabanders and immediately had a good click with Tyrell Malacia. Nelson came in for Bryan Linssen after an hour of play, but could not prevent Feyenoord from losing expensive points at home.
It was a long road for Nelson to make his debut. The attacker was injured for a long time and had to watch the first games of the season from the stands. The debut tasted no less for that. “It felt good,” he said afterwards at ESPN. “I’m glad I was able to make my first minutes for Feyenoord. Unfortunately it took a while, but I’m happy to be back with the team. It’s always difficult when you can’t be there. I’ve watched the matches as a supporter. The atmosphere is really amazing.”
Despite the painful loss of points, Nelson enjoyed the ambiance in De Kuip. “This is what I wanted,” he continues. “This is why I chose a club like Feyenoord. I am appreciated and get full confidence, that feels good.” Nelson acknowledges that the partnership with Malacia has been smooth on the left. “We were both born in 1999. I played against him in the past with England youth teams. We also clicked well during training. It’s nice to see him grow over the years.”
For Cyriel Dessers it was an evening to soon forget. The striker missed some imposed opportunities. “It felt very disappointing to me,” said the replacement for Luis Sinisterra. “Certainly at the end you get a big chance, then you feel partly responsible and that hurts. It was difficult to play football against RKC. They kept it well closed in the back. I thought after Guus’ goal that we could really push through. It just wasn’t as easy as we thought. You have to keep hoping and that opportunity will come. Unfortunately, he didn’t go in.”
Dessers was the starting point for Sinisterra, who had to drop out due to international obligations. “I heard yesterday afternoon that I was going to start. A trainer once told me to celebrate 24 hours and mourn for 24 hours. I’m going to be bad about this for a while, but the switch must quickly be turned towards Thursday. So far I have only experienced beautiful moments at Feyenoord. Now he doesn’t go in and then you have a bad result. That hurts. I blame myself for not taking the chance, but that’s the life of a striker. You can’t score every ball.”