Van Persie feels Inter given ‘dubious’ penalty against Feyenoord: ‘Maybe given too easily’ | OneFootball

Feyenoord coach Robin van Persie claims that Inter were given a ‘dubious’ penalty during their 2-1 Champions League win over Feyenoord on Tuesday night, and suggests that the officials made the call ‘maybe a bit too easily’.

Inter booked a spot in the Champions League quarter-finals, where they will play Bayern Munich, with a 2-1 win over Feyenoord for a 4-1 win on aggregate, thanks to goals from Marcus Thuram and Hakan Calhanoglu on the night.

You can see how the action unfolded on the Football Italia Liveblog.

MILAN, ITALY – MARCH 11: Players of FC Internazionale greet their fans after their victory in the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Round of 16 Second Leg match between FC Internazionale Milano and Feyenoord at Stadio San Siro on March 11, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Van Persie claims Inter given ‘dubious’ penalty against Feyenoord

Inter already had a 2-0 advantage heading into the second leg of the round of 16 tie in San Siro, and made it three 10 minutes in on Tuesday night.

Van Persie says that is ‘never easy’ to ‘concede so early’, but applauded his players for getting themselves level. He claims that the whole Feyenoord camp believed in an against-the-odds comeback when Jakub Moder levelled from the penalty spot.

“The players worked a lot and defended well, with a high and low block. Some moments should have gone better, but we played against a very strong team and when they start pressing, it’s really difficult,” van Persie said in his post-match press conference, reported via TMW.

He continued: “It’s never nice to concede so early, we also felt the support of our fans throughout the game. The boys did everything they could and I can’t ask for more than that.”

Inter restored their three-goal advantage in the tie through a Calhanoglu penalty. Mehdi Taremi had tried to chase down a Feyenoord defender right in the corner of the penalty area, but was fouled and a penalty was given in his side’s favour.

MILAN, ITALY – MARCH 11: Hakan Calhanoglu of FC Internazionale scores his team’s second goal from the penalty spot during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Round of 16 Second Leg match between FC Internazionale Milano and Feyenoord at Stadio San Siro on March 11, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Asked if his side believed in the comeback before Calhanoglu scored, van Perside said: “Yes, and the players, too. It’s great when you manage to equalise, even if we should have scored two goals afterwards.

“It was a shame to concede a goal immediately after half-time, it’s a dubious penalty that was perhaps given a bit too easily.”