Pep Guardiola’s side appeared set for a routine victory at the Etihad Stadium, leading by three goals thanks to Erling Haaland’s brace and an effort from Ilkay Gundogan.
However, the Dutch side had other ideas, led by the Algerian star who sparked their stunning comeback. He scored in the 75th minute to start the fightback, before goals from Santiago Gimenez and David Hancko completed the turnaround, ensuring the six-goal thriller ended in a dramatic finish.
It was a result that set an unwanted record for the reigning English champions being the first team in competition history to be leading a match by three goals as late as the 75th minute and fail to go on to win.
Hadj Moussa’s display earned him the Player of the Match award, with his manager praising his influence against the former European champions, a team renowned for their depth of quality players.
“Exceptional. He was outstanding. He’s been great for us in recent games, constantly pushing and providing us with valuable attacking qualities,” Priske told Flashscores after the game.
“At the same time, he has displayed the discipline and defensive work required at a top team, so he has truly been excellent for us.”
After finishing his loan spell at Vitesse, the 22-year-old was signed by the 16-time Eredivisie champions in April 2024 on a five-year contract. Since then, he has quickly settled in at De Kuip with impressive performances.
He has scored two goals for Feyenoord in just two Eredivisie starts, while his maiden Champions League goal in the 3-1 loss to Salzburg on November 6th further highlighted his importance in Priske’s squad.
“He is just as important to my team as the others. Individually, you have to bring your quality and perform every time you get minutes, whether you’re starting or coming on as a substitute,” Priske stated.
“That’s why I have the utmost respect for him – he’s adjusted his approach, and we now know the offensive qualities he brings.”
The former Denmark international also reflected on the feeling of being three goals down to City, despite his team’s strong start.
He continued: “There were a lot of different thoughts running through my head, and of course, it was a tough period.
Priske also emphasized that his squad will continue working hard to improve as they prepare for their next Champions League match against Sparta Prague, as well as upcoming league fixtures.
To qualify for the knockout stage of the 2024/25 Champions League, Feyenoord will need to focus on improving their results in the remaining group-stage matches under the new ‘Swiss-style’ format.
In this format, the top eight teams automatically progress to the knockout rounds, while those finishing between 9th and 24th will have to win a two-legged play-off for a spot in the last 16.
Given the tight competition, they must earn as many points as possible in their remaining matches to secure a place in the top 24 and avoid elimination.
Feyenoord now shift their focus to Saturday’s Eredivisie clash against Fortuna Sittard. Currently sitting in fourth place, they have accumulated 28 points from 13 matches so far.
