Feyenoord rescue a draw against ADO ten days before facing Barcelona
Feyenoord recovered from two goals down to draw 2-2 with ADO Den Haag, ten days before facing Barcelona in the Champions League.
Feyenoord failed to take advantage of a home match against one of the Eredivisie’s weakest sides. Barcelona’s Champions League opponents drew 2-2 with ADO Den Haag, who arrived in Rotterdam without a single point this season.
The visitors took the lead through Nigel Thomas in the 12th minute. Sekou Sylla then made it 2-0 shortly after half-time, leaving Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team in danger of suffering their first defeat of the campaign.
Feyenoord responded quickly. Ayase Ueda pulled one back in the 62nd minute before Anis Hadj Moussa equalised ten minutes later. The comeback stopped there. ADO protected their first point of the season, while Feyenoord dropped points at De Kuip for the second time. Their previous home match against Go Ahead Eagles also ended 2-2.
Plenty of control, not enough reward
The statistics clearly show which team controlled the match:
| Statistic | Feyenoord | ADO Den Haag |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 69% | 31% |
| Shots on target | 12 | 3 |
| Corners | 11 | 3 |
| Accurate passes | 574 | 212 |
ADO goalkeeper Kilian Nikiema made ten saves. Feyenoord controlled possession, produced chances and spent long periods around the visitors’ penalty area. The scoreboard remained unimpressed.
The Rotterdam side have eight points from their opening four league matches. They remain unbeaten, but two draws have left them behind AZ Alkmaar and PSV Eindhoven.
NEC first, Barcelona next
Feyenoord still have an away match against NEC Nijmegen before beginning their Champions League campaign. Four days later, they will visit the Spotify Camp Nou on 9 September at 18:45 CEST.
It will be Barcelona’s opening match of the league phase. Feyenoord’s draw against ADO may look encouraging for Hansi Flick, although the result does not tell the entire story. The Dutch side recovered from 2-0 down, created enough opportunities to win and remain unbeaten this season.
They have therefore sent Barcelona two messages at once. Their defence can be exposed, but they do not disappear when a match begins to turn against them.
