New-look Feyenoord shut Sparta out to open season with minimal win

[p]Returning [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/feyenoord/8zjySeoN/"]Feyenoord[/a] manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst handed debuts to three summer signings: goalkeeper [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ernst-tjark/tbbK5T30/"]Tjark Ernst[/a], left-back [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/marmol-mika/Cz3awDFR/"]Mika Marmol[/a], and midfielder [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/vanhoutte-charles/CzsxDvTM/"]Charles Vanhoutte[/a] were thrust into the starting line-up against neighbours [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/sparta-rotterdam/KK4FaFV3/"]Sparta[/a], while [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/diarra-gaoussou/Iy7xS7gt/"]Gaoussou Diarra[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/zechiel-gjivai/6BQvLBnt/"]Gjivai Zechiel[/a] were given starts as well.[/p][p]The Rotterdam sides opened the game cautiously, with Feyenoord mostly trying their luck from the edge of the box and Sparta attempting their luck on the counter and during set-pieces as they held on admirably.[/p][p]Feyenoord came closer and closer to the opening goal, with Zechiel firing the first shot on target after 32 minutes and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ueda-ayase/8Ssd0upn/"]Ayase Ueda[/a] getting the biggest chance of the match two minutes later, but the Japanese top scorer fired the ball over from close range.[/p][p][b]The chances preceded the biggest of them all, with new captain [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/valente-luciano/4j2kSvnC/"]Luciano Valente[/a] rolling the ball past [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bednarek-filip/Kr9pYKT2/"]Filip Bednarek[/a] after good preparatory work from Gjivai Zechiel.[/b][/p][embed guid="ca55e909-ff8e-40fb-9c3c-483aa0e93810" url="https://x.com/ESPNnl/status/2086407903603240983?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Sparta lost their rhythm after Valente's opener and were lucky not to go down two right before the break, as Diarra couldn't steer a header towards goal from a few yards away during a corner.[/p][p]An early chance for Ueda ushered in a period of dominance for Feyenoord, who chased a second through Zechiel, Valente, and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/moussa-anis-hadj/0vqEKboE/"]Anis Hadj Moussa[/a] in the minutes following. Bednarek pulled off three crucial saves that kept Sparta in the running for the time being.[/p][p]Sparta were knocked out of the contest just yet and tried to test Ernst via [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/thorisson-nokkvi/xIS2OM4b/"]Nokkvi Thorisson[/a], but were unable to even get a shot on target for over 80 minutes. Just as Het Kasteel hoped Sparta had immediately converted on their first attempt on goal, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/zonneveld-milan/tMlDJFgT/"]Milan Zonneveld[/a] was flagged for offside, cancelling a late equaliser.[/p][embed guid="e2c33615-101d-49b0-a9c9-794656b23fa4" url="https://x.com/ESPNnl/status/2086433774129078335?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/van-bergen-mitchell/M7J39BWi/"]Mitchell van Bergen[/a] got a late chance after being left alone during a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kuipers-bas/4Ielkjub/"]Bas Kuipers[/a] cross, but couldn't connect and saw the ball fly over Ernst's bar.[/p][p]Het Kasteel exploded once again when Milan Zonneveld scored a last-second equaliser, but referee Sander van der Eijk blew the whistle for a foul after seeing Zonneveld push Jeremiah St. Juste right before his header, leaving Sparta's faithful heartbroken.[/p][p]Feyenoord perhaps hadn't controlled the game as they wanted to, but opened their 2026/27 season with a 1-0 win over Sparta. It has immediately given [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/van-bronckhorst-giovanni/080VPTJe/"]Van Bronckhorst[/a]'s men a small lead over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/psv/M9UEHJWi/"]PSV[/a] after the latter's 2-2 draw against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/sittard/YH8HX5iP/"]Fortuna Sittard[/a].[/p][p]Feyenoord continue their season next Sunday with a home game against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/g-a-eagles/hG8POBb8/"]Go Ahead Eagles[/a], who beat [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/willem-ii/6u3qag0G/"]Willem II[/a] 4-1 on Saturday.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/feyenoord-8zjySeoN/sparta-rotterdam-KK4FaFV3/?mid=EJ1zmMYQ"]View all the match statistics on Flashscore[/a][/b][/p][image alt="Key match stats" id="6b94928d-b71c-4c15-b5e2-575975198cd3" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="2c5514fc-3ecc-40f4-9e3c-3fd0a1768e78" original-width="2160" original-height="2700" /]