Feyenoord treated their fans to another successful campaign following the club’s 1-0 victory over NEC Nijmegen to secure the KNVB Cup. Although it was a low-scoring game, it was certainly full of drama throughout the 90 minutes. On the pitch, Igor Paixao gave the home side the lead in the 59th minute, but things became somewhat tense when 19-year-old Feyenoord winger Yankuba Minteh was shown a red card in the 72nd minute following two yellow card offenses in as many minutes.

Pyrotechnics in the Stands

Of course, Feyenoord’s victory deserves praise, but the headlines today are understandably focused on another aspect of the game. With fans in high spirits, displays of support went somewhat over the top and pyrotechnics were set off in the stands by supporters. Although this certainly added to the atmosphere, things were seen to quickly get out of hand as stadium banners caught fire and covered the stadium in black smoke.

Things were bad enough that the referee had to suspend the game on two occasions. The first incident arrived in the first half and, although play resumed, the referee was forced to instruct the players to leave the pitch after half-time to ensure their safety. 

Feyenoord’s Performance

Despite the distractions from the crowd, Feyenoord played well throughout the game. They enjoyed 53.6% possession and managed 10 shots on target from 16 attempts. Undoubtedly, they would have preferred an easier end to the game by scoring a second goal, but all that matters now is that they got over the line and have secured yet another piece of silverware for the club.