Small 6-1 Feyenoord (29 January 2025) Game Analysis

Little Gatecrashed the top eight of the Champions League position and booked an unexpected place in the last 16 as they hammered unhappy Feyenoord 6-1 at home Wednesday the last night of the group competition.

An early goal from Osame Sahraoui was followed by three own goals plus strikes from Jonathan David and Remy Cabella as the unannounced French club advanced to 16 points from their eight games in the new look 36 team group competition.

Small, fourth in Ligue 1 last season, had to come through two preliminary knockout rounds to reach the group phase, ending seventh after a surprisingly effective campaign that saw them beating Atletico Madrid, Bologna and proprietors Real Madrid.

Both sides started the match by knowing that they had already secured a playoff round, but small showed more purpose and had a chance within the opening 60 seconds, but Sahraoui screwed its left-footed effort wide.

He compensated more than Miss as he opened the scoring in the fourth minute and split the ball home from a tight angle as he undertook the visiting defense.

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A corner of the 14th minute produced an equalization with Gernot Trauner, driving unmarked from the back post into the six-yard box and Gimenez got a light touch to demand the goal.

Gimenez hobby shortly after, and then Feyenoord had to take the wounded goalkeeper Justin Bijlow, with his replacement Timon Wellenreuther, who picked the ball out of his net with his first touch after being beaten by his own goal in the 38th minute.

Mitchel Bakkers Cross was affected by Sahraoui to the foot of Trauner who deflected it in the target.

Feyenoord captain David Hancko was next to steering the ball into his own net from Angel Gomes’s 57 minute square pass, though UEFA strangely credited the goal to Gomes.

When 3-1 up and looks increasingly confident, Little created a storming finish led by David who had started on the bench despite Lille’s top scorer in the Champions League, but got on scoring his eighth goal for the campaign.

His 74 minute efforts were quickly followed by Trauner, who turned another own goal in the 76th minute and then veteran striker Cabella, making it 6-1 in the 80th minute.

The defeat of Feyenoord meant that they finished 19 in the position, enough for a place in the playoffs.