BBC SPORT | Football | Uefa Cup | Feyenoord boost Dutch

Feyenoord's 3-2 Uefa Cup final triumph over Borussia Dortmund has given Dutch football a boost, according to the Dutch club's coach Bert van Marwijk.

Holland failed to reach this year's World Cup finals, and van Marwijk feels Feyenoord's win will have done wonders for the country.

Two goals from Pierre van Hooijdonk and one from Jon Dahl Tomasson gave Feyenoord a narrow victory.

Twice I thought we were safe but Dortmund would not give in

Bert van Marwijk

Marcio Amoroso and Jan Koller replied for Dortmund but the German club could never get back on level terms after falling behind.

Van Marwijk said: "Our performances internationally have not been so good and we are not going to the World Cup so this is a big positive for Dutch football."

Feyenoord won the cup in their own De Kuip stadium to maintain their 100% record in Europeans finals.

The Rotterdam club beat Celtic to win the Champions Cup in 1970 and then defeated Spurs to win the Uefa Cup four years later.

"It was a tremendously exciting match," added Van Marwijk.

"Twice I thought we were safe but Dortmund would not give in."

The victory also marked the first European triumph for a Dutch club for seven seasons after Ajax Amsterdam won the European Cup in 1995.
Feyenoord's Pierre van Hooijdonk
The result made van Hooijdonk's season

Feyenoord had to survive a superb second-half comeback from Dortmund who were reduced to 10 men in the 31st minute.

German defender Juergen Kohler was sent off in the last game of his career for fouling man-of-the-match Tomasson inside his own area.

Dortmund's 34-year-old coach Matthias Sammer saw the sending-off as debatable.

He said: "The referee followed the letter of the law but, given that it was in a final, he really should not have been sent off."

"We lost the game due to three dumb mistakes but I am not complaining. We are sporting losers."

We lost the game due to three dumb mistakes but I am not complaining

Matthias Sammer

Van Hooijdonk, deadly accurate from the dead-ball, punished Kohler's misdemeanour from the penalty spot.

Five minutes before half-time the former Celtic man slotted home a trademark free-kick.

The Dutchman said: "This makes the whole season. I had two important moments and I'm glad it was enough to win."

Sammer had captained Dortmund to its first and only Champions Cup triumph in 1997.

Having become the youngest coach to win the Bundesliga last weekend, the east German was bidding to claim another notable European competition.

"The first two goals were both our own fault," Sammer added.

"They obviously derailed us. But in the second half we proved our morale was good. Unfortunately we conceded a third goal and we didn't manage to equalise."


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