Feyenoord's Frustrating 1-1 Draw with Twente Fuels Van Persie Pressure Cooker

Feyenoord's hopes of halting their alarming slide were dashed in a tense 1-1 draw against FC Twente at De Kuip on Sunday, extending their winless run to nine games in 12 and intensifying scrutiny on manager Robin van Persie.[3][5]

The match began disastrously for the hosts, with Twente dominating the first half and taking the lead in the 20th minute through Mats Rots, who fired into the far corner past Timon Wellenreuther. Twente peppered Feyenoord's goal with a record 14 shots in the opening period, the most conceded by Feyenoord at home in an Eredivisie game since at least 2010/11.[3]

Feyenoord showed flickers of life after the break but remained subdued until the 74th minute, when Goncalo Borges equalized with a sublime outside-of-the-foot curler into Lars Unnerstall's far corner.[3]

Momentum shifted dramatically just a minute later as Feyenoord's Luciano Valente received a second yellow card, reducing the hosts to 10 men. Twente pressed for a winner, with Ricky van Wolfswinkel, Robin Propper, and Daan Rots going close, but the scoreline held, leaving both sides with a point.[3]

This result compounds a torrid spell for Feyenoord, who entered the game on the back of three straight losses: a 2-0 defeat to Ajax in De Klassieker and a dramatic 3-2 cup exit to Heerenveen, where a 90th-minute goal sparked fan frustration directed at Van Persie.[1][2]

Despite sitting second in the Eredivisie with 34 points from 16 games (11 wins, 1 draw, 4 losses), Feyenoord trail leaders PSV Eindhoven by 11 points, a gap widened by their domestic stumbles and six European defeats this season.[3][4]

Van Persie was already under fire, with the club losing seven of their last nine across all competitions. Key absences didn't help: forwards Gaoussou Diarra and Anis Hadj Moussa, plus midfielder Oussama Targhalline, were away on Africa Cup of Nations duty, while injuries sidelined Sem Steijn (hamstring), Malcolm Jeng and Gernot Trauner (Achilles), Givairo Read (hamstring), Thomas Beelen (broken leg), Jakub Moder (back), and Shiloh’t Zand (unspecified).[2]

Twente, on an eight-game unbeaten streak beforehand but winless in four away league games, climb to 24 points (6-6-4 record). Standout performers include top scorer A Ueda (18 goals) for Feyenoord and Ricky van Wolfswinkel (6 goals) for Twente.[1][4]

Feyenoord's rebuild at De Kuip continues to test patience, with no clean sheet in 12 games and defensive frailties evident—both teams have conceded 20 league goals, though Feyenoord's attack has netted 41.[1]

As the Eredivisie pauses until 2026, Van Persie faces mounting pressure to regroup a squad desperate for revival.[3]