Feyenoord booked its seventh win in a row in the Eredivisie on Saturday in De Kuip. Coach Arne Slot’s team was too strong for Vitesse with a score of 4-0. Santiago Giménez’s retirement was a blemish on the convincing victory.
Feyenoord was lord and master in De Kuip from the first minute. Calvin Stengs scored in the seventh minute. Just before half time, Giménez doubled the score on a pass from Stengs: 2-0.
Even after the break, Vitesse could not make a fist against the national champion. Lutsharel Geertruida took advantage of a grabbing goalkeeper Eloy Room in the fiftieth minute. In the final phase, substitute Antoni Milambo scored another goal.
What put a damper on Feyenoord’s celebrations was Giménez’s retirement. The Mexican left the field limping after 64 minutes. It is not known whether the striker will be fit in time for the Champions League match against Lazio next Wednesday.
Thanks to the victory, Feyenoord is third in the Eredivisie with 23 points. The Rotterdam team has four points less than leader PSV, which won 3-1 against Fortuna Sittard earlier in the day. Vitesse is fourteenth.
Stengs and Giménez are worth their weight in gold for Feyenoord
Stengs and Giménez were the standouts on the Rotterdam side in the first half. After a nice through ball from Quinten Timber, Stengs shot the ball into the short corner.
For the fifth time this season, Feyenoord scored within ten minutes. Stengs was also the celebrated man in the closing stages of the first half. The attacker, who came over from Royal Antwerp this summer, delivered a perfect through ball to the scoring Giménez: 2-0.
Even after the break, the Mexican played a leading role with an assist to Geertruida. For Giménez that was his last contribution to the match. After a tackle in the box, he made it clear to Slot that he could not continue.
Substitutes make an appearance in the second half
In the closing stages of the second half, Feyenoord had no problem with Vitesse. On a pass from Leo Sauer, Milambo misled goalkeeper Room. The eighteen-year-old Rotterdammer showed himself to the home crowd with a striking shot.
In addition to Milambo and Sauer, Ayase Ueda, Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Ramiz Zerrouki also came in. Justin Bijlow returned to Feyenoord under the bar. The goalkeeper has fully recovered from a wrist injury and took the place of reserve goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther.
Despite Giménez’s retirement, Feyenoord is heading into the Champions League match with Lazio in De Kuip with a good feeling thanks to the 4-0 win over Vitesse.
The post first appeared on www.nu.nl