Cyriel Dessers earned his ninth goal of the season in Feyenoord’s Eredivisie match against FC Twente on Sunday afternoon.
With third place in the league standings assured, the UEFA Conference League finalists would have been overjoyed to deliver their fans a strong home win before the new season, but they were defeated 2-1.
Early on, Feyenoord surged on and should have taken the lead through Guus Til, but his fantastic rebound volley went wide of the right post.
FC Twente stunned their hosts with the first goal just before the half-hour mark.
Ricky van Wolfswinkel made room for himself and beautifully set up Dimitrios Limnios, who fired into an empty goal.
Twente promptly extended their lead, making things worse for the hosts.
Gijs Smal demonstrated exceptional technique by carefully handling a lofted pass before sending the ball into the net with his second touch.
Former Brighton player Alireza Jahanbakhsh got the first chance of the second half when he quickly collected a great pass before hitting inside the box, but his rocket flew inches wide.
In the 60th minute, Cyriel Dessers made a wild rush through the Twente defense to generate space for himself in the box.
But just as he was about to take his shot, a Twente defender made a hard tackle to force the ball out for a corner.
The Super Eagles striker persisted in his pursuit of a goal, and fortune was on his side as he swiftly pegged the visitors back.
The 27-year-old held his composure to lose his man, collect a good ball, and fire a hard shot from close range into the bottom corner, cutting Twente’s lead in half.
The goal rejuvenated the home squad, and they began to create great chances, bringing Feyenoord’s optimism to life.
Jorrit Hendrix nearly scored late in the game, blasting a tremendous shot from the edge of the box, but Twente goalkeeper Lars Unnerstall rushed to his side and well blocked the chance.
In additional time, Cyriel Dessers came close to equalizing for Arne Slot’s side when he rose highest to meet a superbly lofted ball, but his header soared just beyond.
Twente ended the season with just three points behind Feyenoord, who must erase their home loss and concentrate more on their UEFA Conference League final against Roma on May 22.