Matchday five in the UEFA Champions League saw Feyenoord battle back from 3-0 down inside 14 second-half minutes to draw 3-3 with Manchester City at the Etihad.
In a period where things haven’t come easy for City, as Pep Guardiola experienced five straight losses in all competitions for the first time in his tenure, it initially looked like a routine win of old.
Erling Haaland gave the hosts the lead from the spot just before the interval. Ilkay Gundogan then made it two in the 50th minute. The Norwegian forward had his brace just three minutes later, and Feyenoord looked down and out.
However, an inspiring second-half performance from the Rotterdam side saw Anis Hadj-Moussa’s 74th-minute goal start a thrilling fightback. Santiago Gimenez marked his return from injury with goal number two in the 82nd minute, before the visitors completed their comeback as David Hancko pounced in the 89th.
As a battered-looking Pep Guardiola posed as an image of admitted self-inflicted pain, his side’s form stretches to six games without a win. The atmosphere in the post-match Feyenoord camp was a stark contrast, to say the least, as ESPN NL’s testimony shows.
Priske: “It is without a doubt one of those nights that will always stand out”
Brian Priske had front-row tickets for his team’s comeback exploits on Tuesday night as Feyenoord became the first team in Champions League history to avoid defeat after still trailing 3-0 in the 70th minute. Aware of the importance of the win the Danish coach described a truly historic performance by Feyenoord, one that won’t be forgotten in a hurry.
“It is without a doubt one of those nights that will always stand out. I don’t know if this has happened before in the Champions League. This is a fantastic performance by the boys. They did a fantastic job and kept believing.”
“I hope that they will take several things with them. The focus, the quality, and the confidence that you need against similar opponents.”
“It shouldn’t matter that (former club) Sparta Prague is the opponent. We approach the match the same. I can’t hide the emotions, but at the end of the day I want to give our fantastic supporters a great evening.”
Timber: “This will only sink in later”
While his manager was an island of calm in choppy seas of euphoria, captain Quinten Timber had a very different summary of the match.
“Can I explain what happened? Well, very easy. You go 3-0 down and then make it 3-3, away at City (smiling). Eventually you make that 3-1 and then you feel as a team that there is something to be gained. After that 3-2 you get even more belief and that 3-3 is extra nice.”
“This will only sink in later. I can say that you want to win here, but you are playing against the best team of the past few years. Then you are 3-0 behind and it is crazy that you can make it 3-3. We can be happy with what we have achieved here.”
Hancko: “I’ll never forget this moment”
David Hancko was the man who headed in the historic goal for 3-3. While he completed the Feyenoord comeback, he also realised a boyhood dream at the Etihad Stadium.
“This was crazy. The first half went as we had expected. After the break, two quick goals were scored, that wasn’t easy, but in the end we got the reward.”
“We tried something different. It may not have been our usual game plan, but we tried, showed character and that resulted in a draw. I’m proud of everyone.”
“It’s special to score. As a youngster you look at these clubs and now I scored here. That’s something I never expected. I’ll never forget this moment.”
