Feyenoord beat Marseille 3-2 in the first leg of their UEFA Europa Conference League semifinal tie, despite squandering a two-goal lead in the first half itself.
The Dutch side led in the 18th minute, courtesy of the inventive Luis Sinisterra and the ruthless Cyriel Dressers, with the former backheeling a long-ball into the path of the latter for the finish. Two minutes later, Sinisterra’s deflected shot from the edge of the box doubled Feyenoord’s advantage, and the tie looked in danger of being over before the teams had even settled into their respective rhythms.
But Marseille hit back. Bamba Dieng rifled the Olympians back into the game with a sensational shot from outside the box after some incredible one-touch football.
Gerson leveled the scores five minutes before half-time; the midfielder continued his run from the deep as the play progressed down the right and slammed a loose ball into the net as it fell his way.
However, just seconds after the interval, a calamitous error by Duje Caleta-Car allowed Dressers to steal the ball with just the goalkeeper to beat, which he did, restoring Feyenoord’s lead on the night, and in the tie – a lead, that they must protect at the Velodrome next week.
Underwhelming domestic seasons underlined the need for AS Roma and Leicester City both to make the UECL final. That, and the fact that Jose Mourinho was facing his former apprentice Brendan Rodgers, ensured that this was a match laden with narratives.
Often maligned this season for their lack of big-game nous under Mourinho and some heavy defeats along the way, the Serie A outfit led the tie 15 minutes into it. The goal came about from a long switch out to the left to the young wingback Nicola Zalewski, who brought the ball forward before threading it through for his captain Lorenzo Pellegrini for the finish from close range.
The Foxes equalized after the interval, after several spells of dominant possession. The ball, fizzed in from the dangerous Harvey Barnes, bounced off Ademola Lookman – as per the official sources, the last touch came off Roma defender Gianluca Mancini – into the net.
Neither side could get the all-important second goal, though, meaning there is still a lot of life left in the tie ahead of its second leg which will take place on May 5.
