Feyenoord came from behind to beat Club Brugge 3-1 in the Kuip on Saturday afternoon, and Sem Steijn played the decisive role with two excellent set pieces. After falling 0-1 behind, Feyenoord turned the match around and finished it with a result that gave Giovanni van Bronckhorst a second straight win since his return.
That is why the match matters now: it was a live test in preparation, and it showed both the damage Feyenoord can do on dead balls and the work still left to do in open play. Van Bronckhorst said the team had trained on patterns this week, especially in buildup, and he pointed to the way Feyenoord often found the free man while the central defenders were comfortable enough to dribble into midfield.
Steijn’s contribution mattered because Feyenoord did not need a long spell of control to change the game. The two set pieces brought direct value at the moment the team needed it most, after the early setback had given Club Brugge a foothold. Van Bronckhorst said the response to that 0-1 deficit showed how important corners and free kicks can be in taking a match back.
There was still a sharper edge to the win than the scoreline alone suggests. Van Bronckhorst said Club Brugge were comfortable on the ball and caused problems in the first half by playing three 'tienen' high, which stretched Feyenoord and left them in trouble before the break. Feyenoord adjusted in the second half by moving the wingers more inside, taking away some of the danger and helping the home side regain control.
Even so, the coach did not dress up the performance as complete. He said the week’s work had focused more on buildup, the final phase and the team’s defensive shape than on set pieces, and that the side will now train next week on high press, block defending, set pieces and tactical patterns. For Feyenoord, the victory over Club Brugge was useful not just because it was a comeback, but because it exposed exactly where the team is already strong and where the next layer still has to come from.
