Returning Feyenoord manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst handed debuts to three summer signings: goalkeeper Tjark Ernst, left-back Mika Marmol, and midfielder Charles Vanhoutte were thrust into the starting line-up against neighbours Sparta, while Gaoussou Diarra and Gjivai Zechiel were given starts as well.
The Rotterdam sides opened the game cautiously, with Feyenoord mostly trying their luck from the edge of the box and Sparta attempting their luck on the counter and during set-pieces as they held on admirably.
Feyenoord came closer and closer to the opening goal, with Zechiel firing the first shot on target after 32 minutes and Ayase Ueda getting the biggest chance of the match two minutes later, but the Japanese top scorer fired the ball over from close range.
The chances preceded the biggest of them all, with new captain Luciano Valente rolling the ball past Filip Bednarek after good preparatory work from Gjivai Zechiel.
Sparta lost their rhythm after Valente's opener and were lucky not to go down two right before the break, as Diarra couldn't steer a header towards goal from a few yards away during a corner.
An early chance for Ueda ushered in a period of dominance for Feyenoord, who chased a second through Zechiel, Valente, and Anis Hadj Moussa in the minutes following. Bednarek pulled off three crucial saves that kept Sparta in the running for the time being.
Sparta were knocked out of the contest just yet and tried to test Ernst via Nokkvi Thorisson, but were unable to even get a shot on target for over 80 minutes. Just as Het Kasteel hoped Sparta had immediately converted on their first attempt on goal, Milan Zonneveld was flagged for offside, cancelling a late equaliser.
Mitchell van Bergen got a late chance after being left alone during a Bas Kuipers cross, but couldn't connect and saw the ball fly over Ernst's bar.
Het Kasteel exploded once again when Milan Zonneveld scored a last-second equaliser, but referee Sander van der Eijk blew the whistle for a foul after seeing Zonneveld push Jeremiah St. Juste right before his header, leaving Sparta's faithful heartbroken.
Feyenoord perhaps hadn't controlled the game as they wanted to, but opened their 2026/27 season with a 1-0 win over Sparta. It has immediately given Van Bronckhorst's men a small lead over PSV after the latter's 2-2 draw against Fortuna Sittard.
Feyenoord continue their season next Sunday with a home game against Go Ahead Eagles, who beat Willem II 4-1 on Saturday.
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