Feyenoord’s Struggles Continue in Narrow Defeat to Sparta

Sparta took the lead five minutes before halftime, with Joshua Kitolano netting his fourth league goal of the season. The home side then extended their advantage ten minutes after the break through Mitchell van Bergen.

In pursuit of a comeback, Feyenoord’s head coach Robin van Persie introduced his son, Shaqueel, midway through the second half. Following Shaqueel’s introduction, Hwang In-Beom managed to reduce the deficit. However, Shunsuke Mito restored Sparta’s two-goal lead with 20 minutes remaining.

Van Persie appeared to have salvaged a point for Feyenoord with an impressive flick, bringing the score to 3-2, and later executed an incredible bicycle kick that delighted his father on the touchline. Unfortunately for Feyenoord, Kitolano secured his second goal and Sparta’s fourth in injury time, sealing Feyenoord’s fate.

This 4-3 defeat means Feyenoord remains winless in their last six matches across all competitions.

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Shaqueel van Persie made his debut for Feyenoord in a 3-1 loss to Celtic in the Europa League last November, where he was brought on late in the match as Feyenoord sought to turn the tide against the Scottish giants. Although Robin van Persie faced criticism for introducing his son in such a critical European match, he defended his choice, stating, “I made that call as a coach, not as a dad, because we needed a goal. Shaqueel is a player who can score from all angles. That was the reason I brought him on.”

Currently, Feyenoord sits at the bottom of their group in the Europa League, with five losses out of six matches played. They are set to face Austrian side Sturm Graz in midweek, followed by fixtures against Heracles and Real Betis to conclude the month.

Pressure is mounting on Van Persie to improve the team’s performance. Since taking charge at De Kuip last February, Feyenoord is second in the Eredivisie but finds themselves 16 points behind league leaders PSV, who recently secured a 2-1 victory over Fortuna Sittard.