Shaqueel van Persie, the son of legendary Dutch striker Robin van Persie, scored his first professional goals as Feyenoord played out a seven-goal thriller with Rotterdam rivals Sparta on Sunday. Van Persie junior made just his third career appearance as he replaced Casper Tengstedt midway through the second half in the Rotterdam Derby, and almost salvaged a draw for his team.
Sparta went ahead five minutes before the break as Joshua Kitolano bagged his fourth league goal of the season, and doubled their advantage 10 minutes after the interval through Mitchell van Bergen.
As Feyenoord chased a result, head coach Robin van Persie threw his son into the mix midway through the second half. Hwang In-Beom halved the deficit shortly after Shaqueel’s introduction, only for Shunsuke Mito to restore Sparta’s two-goal lead with 20 minutes to play.
Van Persie then thought he’d rescued a result for Feyenoord, producing an audacious flick to make it 3-2, before executing an outrageous bicycle kick that left his father beaming with pride on the touchline. Kitolano, however, scored his second and Sparta’s fourth deep into second half injury time as Feyenoord’s poor run of form continued.
The 4-3 loss to Sparta Rotterdam means Feyenoord are now winless in their last six matches across all competitions.
Shaqueel van Persie made his Feyenoord debut in a 3-1 loss to Celtic in the Europa League back in November. The teenage forward was introduced late on as the Dutch side chased a result against the Scottish powerhouse.
Robin Van Persie came in for criticism for his decision to hand his son his debut in a crucial European tie, but the Feyenoord boss defended his decision to utilise Shaqueel off the bench.
“I made that call as a coach, not as a dad, because we needed a goal,” the former Arsenal and Manchester United forward said at the time. “Shaqueel is a player who can score a goal from all angles. That was the reason I brought him on.”
Feyenoord currently sit 30th in the Europa League league phase, having lost five of their six games to date.
Feyenoord are next in action in midweek when they take on Austrian side Sturm Graz in Europe’s second club competition. The Dutch giants then see out the month with games against Heracles and Real Betis.
However, pressure is mounting on Van Persie to turn the club’s fortunes around. The iconic Premier League hitman took over the reins at De Kuip last February, and while they remain second in the Eredivisie, Feyenoord are now 16 points off league leaders PSV, who earned a 2-1 win at Fortuna Sittard over the weekend.
