Feyenoord Hold Off Groningen, Sterling Misses Chance for First Goal

Ueda brace keeps Feyenoord second in Eredivisie

Feyenoord beat Groningen 3-1 to stay in control of second place. Ueda scored twice, Bos added one, and departing winger Raheem Sterling failed to net his maiden goal late on.

Feyenoord strike first in fight for second with efficient win over Groningen. The result keeps Feyenoord four points clear of NEC in the fight for second...

  

Second-placed Feyenoord snapped a three-game draw streak and kept their lead over NEC Nijmegen in the table after beating FC Groningen 3-1 on Saturday.

Feyenoord held a one-point lead over third-placed NEC ahead of this weekend’s 31st round of the Dutch Eredivisie. They had struggled in recent weeks, with their last league win dating from March 15th in a 2-1 victory over Excelsior.

With Gernot Trauner back in the starting XI for the first time in over a year, Aussie left-back Jordan Bos broke the deadlock early with a deadly strike. He coolly fired a lay-off from Luciano Valente into Etienne Vaessen’s top right corner after 11 minutes.

Bos played a big role up front again not much later. The left-back was brought down by Vaessen and earned his side a penalty in the 21st minute. Eredivisie top scorer Ayase Ueda stepped up and fired it into the left corner to double Feyenoord’s lead.

After FC Groningen created a small handful of chances late in the opening half, Ueda came closest to expanding the lead shortly after half-time. He could not finish his chance from the counter.

The Japanese hitman struck again nonetheless, turning away perfectly from Tijmen Blokzijl and calmly tucking the ball into the bottom corner. That effectively put the game to bed with over 20 minutes remaining.

It became a special day in Feyenoord history and the history of Ilai Grootfaam. He became Feyenoord’s youngest-ever player to feature in an Eredivisie game at 16 years and 41 days old.

Ayase Ueda draait goed weg en rondt koelbloedig af!👏#feygro pic.twitter.com/956J6i21kA

— ESPN NL (@ESPNnl) April 25, 2026

Thom van Bergen, the player with the most shots in the Eredivisie this season, added the only Groningen goal in a resounding Feyenoord win. He tapped the ball into Wellenreuther’s goal after Dies Janse picked it off deep in Feyenoord territory.

 

Raheem Sterling, who’s set to leave Feyenoord after the expiry of his contract in June, tried and failed to score his maiden Feyenoord goal in the final minutes. That kept the score at 3-1.

16y41d - Ilai Grootfaam is the youngest player to ever feature for Feyenoord in the Eredivisie (16 years and 41 days). Illustrious. pic.twitter.com/baxGSZ0VI2

— OptaJohan (@OptaJohan) April 25, 2026

With three rounds remaining, Feyenoord are still in the driver’s seat in the race for the second and final ticket to the League Phase of next year’s UEFA Champions League. They temporarily lead NEC by four points ahead of the Nijmegen side’s meeting with FC Twente later on Saturday.

Three points at home! 🔴⚪️⚫️#feygro pic.twitter.com/6uu5MqzcxS

— Feyenoord Rotterdam (@Feyenoord) April 25, 2026