After a cagey start to the match, the hosts took the lead with the very first attempt of the game after 11 minutes played. An excellent corner from Montenegro international Risto Radunovic was met by the head of Siyabonga Ngezana, whose effort flew into the top corner to send the home crowd wild.
The visitors’ first real opportunity to get back on level terms arrived shortly before the half-hour mark when Casper Tengstedt steered the ball well off target, when he should have fared a lot better from inside the 18-yard box.
Feyenoord continued to apply pressure and were initially awarded a penalty due to what appeared to be a trip by Baba Alhassan on Tengstedt. The decision was reversed though, after the referee was asked to review his video monitor by the VAR officials, much to the Rotterdam side’s disbelief.
Despite that setback, the Eredivisie side grabbed a deserved equaliser with the interval on the horizon as Tengstedt’s superb far-post header following a corner-kick beat Stefan Tarnovanu and found the back of the net.
The situation quickly went from bad to worse for FCSB, as some static defending from the Romanian outfit allowed their Dutch opponents to edge in front on the stroke of half-time. An impressive left-wing delivery from Luciano Valente found Quinten Timber, and his close-range header was steered home to suddenly put Robin van Persie’s team in the driving seat.
While it undoubtedly took a while for Feyenoord to get going, they recovered well from an early blow while FCSB struggled to impose themselves on the game after breaking the deadlock.
The start of the second half appeared to carry on where the first left off, as FCSB struggled to contain the visitors who were in full flow at this point.
The Eredivisie side soon extended their lead just six minutes after the restart, as young Slovakia international Leo Sauer latched onto a smart through ball from Jordan Bos, before confidently slotting the ball past Tarnovanu to make it 3-1.
FCSB refused to give up though, and quickly gave themselves a lifeline when substitute Mihai Toma met Juri Cisotti’s cross and headed the ball with just enough power for it to cross the line despite Timon Wellenreuther’s best efforts to claw the attempt away.
With full-time looming, the hosts netted a dramatic equaliser thanks to an excellent header from Mamadou Thiam to stun the away supporters. T
he remainder of the match resembled a game of basketball, as both sides threw everything at a last-gasp winner.
Astonishingly, in the fifth minute of stoppage time, FCSB scored via a cool and collected close-range finish on the break by Florin Tanase to secure all three points.
The victory keeps FCSB in contention of advancing past the league phase of the UEL, as they now sit one point behind a top 24 spot. Meanwhile, Feyenoord have it all to do to reach the knockout playoffs round as they find themselves four points adrift with two league phase matches remaining.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Luciano Valente (Feyenoord)