Feyenoorders speak of an ‘off day’, Priske protects Wellenreuther

NOS Football•today, 00:05•Amended today, 00:22

“An off day,” concluded Feyenoord player David Hancko after the loss in the Champions League at home to Red Bull Salzburg. After two victories in a row, the Rotterdam team surprisingly lost the fourth game 1-3.

If Feyenoord won, they would have reached nine points and would almost certainly have qualified for the knockout phase. Captain Hancko: “Today we could have taken a big step, but we still have everything in our own hands. We have to keep looking up.”

Hancko had no idea what the reason for the loss is. “We had an off day. The last thirty meters towards the goal we were nothing. We could not create many chances. The build-up was slow and then it becomes difficult against everyone.”

Bart Nieuwkoop, the right back who played as a right winger in possession, called it “a lousy evening”. “We weren’t steady enough on the ball, we didn’t reach the level we can reach.”

Afterwards, coach Brian Priske was disappointed that his team made too many mistakes, which he said made it difficult to win matches.

Yet he retains confidence in Timon Wellenreuther, for example, the goalkeeper who did not look good at 0-1 and whom he passed last week in favor of the injured Justin Bijlow. “I don’t know when he will come out of the negative spiral, but I have every confidence in him and in the other goalkeepers.”

The energy also did not seem to be present enough at Feyenoord. Especially for peace and quiet. “We have to learn from this, that we lose duels, lose the second ball, in our own stadium.” And that is not possible, says Hancko.

“It’s our own fault. We didn’t create much. They played well and made it difficult for us. It was deserved, but I think if we had played better we would have won.”

The moment of the goal was especially unpleasant. “Not a good moment to be 0-1 behind,” says Nieuwkoop. “If you go into halftime at 0-0, you get a different second half.”

Priske about blundering Wellenreuther: ‘Remains a good goalkeeper’

But, Hancko also knew: “We also came back against AZ (3-2 win, ed.). We went into the second half with that thought.”

Nieuwkoop believes that Feyenoord has fought and fought. “The belief is certainly there, even if we end up with ten men. The belief is there, we give everything we have. If we are more effective and defend more clinically, then you will have a different evening.”

“It certainly feels like a missed opportunity. If we reach the level we can, it would have been a good result,” Nieuwkoop concludes. “A missed opportunity.”