Feyenoord Falls to KVC Westerlo in Friendly

Feyenoord slipped to a 2-1 defeat against Belgian side KVC Westerlo in a low-key, behind-closed-doors friendly on Monday, despite another eye-catching moment from Shaqueel van Persie.

The youngster, son of club legend Robin, struck first. Lurking in the box, Van Persie reacted sharply to a Sem Steijn corner, finding enough space to finish with composure and give the Rotterdam side an early lead. It was the kind of instinctive movement Feyenoord fans are starting to recognise.

The advantage did not last. Westerlo worked their way back into the game before half-time, levelling the score and gradually seizing control. After the break, the Belgians pushed on and turned the match around, taking a 2-1 lead that Feyenoord never managed to claw back.

This was very much a run-out for the supporting cast. Feyenoord started with the players who had been on the bench in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Go Ahead Eagles, with Giovanni van Bronckhorst stepping back while assistants Sipke Hulshoff and Saïd Bakkati handled the touchline duties and the in-game instructions.

The changes kept coming. After the interval, Casper Tengstedt and Jivayno Zinhagel came on for Van Persie and Jordan Lotomba, injecting fresh legs into the attack and down the flanks. Around the hour mark, Luka Ivanusec replaced Gonçalo Borges on the right wing, another tweak aimed at stretching Westerlo’s back line.

The pressure almost paid off late on. Tengstedt found himself with two good chances to level the score and rescue a draw, but the finishing touch deserted him and Feyenoord walked off with a narrow defeat and a few regrets in front of empty stands.

Now the focus snaps back to the Vriendenloterij Eredivisie. After spilling costly points in the 2-2 against Go Ahead Eagles, Feyenoord head to face promoted SC Cambuur on Sunday — a side still searching for their first point of the season after two rounds.