Having already knocked one Milan side out of the Champions League this season, Feyenoord were eyeing up a swift double with Inter in the round of 16.
They almost made the perfect start in the quest to do so, countering their Italian hosts and forcing Josep Martinez into some early action when Ibrahim Osman tested his resolve inside the opening five minutes.
Inter struggled to assert their authority throughout the opening 45 minutes, but they were gifted an opening on the half hour mark when Marcus Thuram freed himself in behind and squared the ball on a plate for Lautaro Martinez, but a sensational last-ditch block denied what would’ve been a certain goal.
That only proved a temporary reprieve for the hosts, who found themselves behind shortly before the break.
Nicolo Barella was the architect in the move, whipping an inch-perfect ball to the back post where Thuram acrobatically turned home at the far post to break the deadlock.
Inter’s advantage was almost swiftly doubled, but although Martinez managed to get his effort on target this time, it was repelled by Timon Wellenreuther.
The Argentine wasn’t to be denied again though, finally getting his name on the scoresheet within five minutes of the restart when he pounced upon a loose ball in the area and fired an effort high into the roof of the net.
Two goals behind, the game and the tie were slipping away from Feyenoord, so they’ll have been feeling even more despondent when they saw Thuram tumble in the area.
Jeyland Mitchell was the offending player, and he thought he’d gotten away with it, but a quick VAR check confirmed he had in fact fouled the Frenchman. Piotr Zielinski assumed responsibility from the spot, yet his penalty into the bottom left was impressively beaten away by Wellenreuther.
The Dutch side thought they should have had a penalty of their own just minutes later when Ayase Ueda tumbled in the area under a challenge from Stefan de Vrij, but referee Espen Eskas was unmoved.
There was a desperate late push from Feyenoord to find a goal that would have given them added belief in their away leg, but they were ultimately unsuccessful in that quest.
It leaves them with a mountain to climb in next week’s reverse fixture, one which they’ll likely struggle in given Inter haven’t been defeated in a home Champions League game since September 2022, let alone lost one by three goals.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)