Eredivisie side Feyenoord really gave their all in attack during a round of 16 KNVB Cup tie, having 50 shots throughout the match.
This absurd volume shooting occurred in their 4-4 draw with NEC Nijmegen.
According to stats from Sofascore, the Rotterdam side dominated proceedings with their half-century of attempts. This included 27 of their efforts going on target. With this multitude of shots, Feyenoord surpassed Atalanta’s European record of 47 in a single match.
Despite their best (and a lot of) efforts, Feyenoord still went to penalties against their fellow Eredivisie side. Thankfully, they held their nerve from the spot, winning 5-3.
However, even this does not detract from the ridiculous 50 shots that Feyenoord recorded during the Cup tie.
Meanwhile, even though he conceded four goals, NEC keeper Mattijs Branderhorst earned a perfect “10” on Sofascore’s rating system. He achieved this thanks to a historic night himself.
NEC keeper’s incredible performance as he faces 50 shots from Feyenoord
Branderhorst made no less than 23 saves throughout the round of 16 tie in an absolutely stellar showing. The NEC keeper frequently denied the opposition to post the most stops that Sofascore had ever seen.
Additionally, his save total surpassed records from other leagues by miles. For instance, he easily beat the Premier League’s current save record, which stands at 14. David de Gea, Vito Mannone, and Tim Krul all reached this mark during an English topflight match.
Branderhorst also beats Tim Howard’s figure which holds the lead for the most stops in a World Cup match. Howard made 16 saves for the US against Belgium during their 2014 round of 16 tie.
Even then, the NEC shot-stopper denied more attempts at goal than Yann Sommer’s record of 19 this season. Branderhorst, therefore, has now made the most saves in a single match since the stat has been recorded.
Sadly, though, this did not stop his side from exiting the KNVB Cup.
Feyenoord (5) 4-4 (3) NEC
The Rotterdam side advanced to the quarterfinals of the Dutch Cup thanks to a penalty shootout win at De Kuip.
Visiting side NEC actually went ahead after 30 minutes. A smart move saw Calvin Verdonk open the scoring, sneaking a shot under the onrushing keeper. Striker Pedro Marques then doubled NEC’s advantage just before the break.
The visitors appeared to be heading through to the last eight, but a wild injury time proved their undoing. Firstly, Philippe Sandler received a red card for a handball that denied a goal. Feyenoord also got a penalty, which captain Orkun Kokcu dispatched calmly.
Arne Slot’s side brought themselves level with a few minutes of added time to spare. Igor Paixao got the goal, diverting a header into the ground that bounced into the net.
Despite being a man light, NEC regained the lead in extra time thanks to Jordy Bruijn. However, this lasted just two minutes before Feyenoord’s attacking onslaught brought them level once more.
Fans at De Kuip thought they had finally made it through when Javairo Dilrosun made it 4-3 with an absolute stunner. But NEC fought back once more, with Bruijn getting his second to force penalties.
Feyenoord were perfect during the shootout, scoring all five as NEC missed one.
This spectacular Cup win sees the 13-time winners reach the last eight of the KNVB Cup once more.
Featured image credit: Getty
