Practice makes perfect for Feyenoord scorers

• Feyenoord win 2-0 to move two points ahead of Rijeka and Standard in Group G
• Fred Rutten delighted with the start but admits Rijeka pushed hard in the second half
• Scorers Karim El Ahmadi and Lex Immers said the goals came from well-honed moves
• Matjaž Kek rues a poor start that cost the Croatian visitors
• Next games: Feyenoord v Sevilla, Rijeka v Standard Liège (27 November)

Fred Rutten, Feyenoord coach
We played an excellent first half, in terms of our football, our desire and the entertainment level we brought to the game. The second half was a lot harder. It was more difficult to find the free man on the pitch. That was also because of our opponents. They started playing with two attackers and it took too long for our midfielders to block their supply.

We did not have the composure we had in the first half. They created a few chances, but luckily we had Kenneth [Vermeer]. This is a very good result on a European level.

The biggest steps forward for the team are the points we are winning. We already had good performances, but now we are also securing results. We were a team in the way we attacked with 11 men and the way we defended with 11 men. We have to preserve this team spirit.

Lex Immers, Feyenoord midfielder
In the first half we achieved the same high level we showed in recent weeks. Rijeka put some more pressure on us in the second half, which gave us some trouble. We couldn't find the free man any more and we were a bit agitated. We can applaud the team for keeping a clean sheet, despite the pressure.

[For my goal] the corner was taken by Jens [Toornstra] and we were all positioned at the near post. I moved away and luckily the ball landed on my head and I scored. These are situations we practice in training a lot, so it is extra rewarding because of that.

We now overtake Rijeka in Group G and Standard have lost. So we move from fourth to second place in the group. If we win our remaining games we are through. It's in our own hands now, but Sevilla at home and Standard away will be difficult matches.

Karim El Ahmadi makes it 1-0©AFP/Getty Images

Karim El Ahmadi, Feyenoord midfielder
Rijeka were dangerous on the counterattack. They had a few chances, but our goalkeeper saved us. If they had pulled it back to 2-1 then things could have been very difficult, so we have to learn from that.

It was a good [goal] after a well-executed attack. We practice these situations in training, so it's good to see it working. I am happy with my goal and for helping the team.

We dominated in the first half, but we sat back too much in the second. We focused too much on keeping a clean sheet and took the victory as a given. We have to keep going next time, especially at home, but generally you have to be happy with winning and not conceding any goals.

We are gaining a lot of confidence from these [European] home games. We have to hang on to that feeling and bring that onto the pitch. The coming month will be crucial for us. We play Sevilla at home, which is a difficult game, but I feel confident.

Matjaž Kek, Rijeka coach
You can never be happy when you lose. We didn't start the match very well. We had several chances in the second half. This is European football, so you really have to convert those into goals. We didn't succeed. Now we have to move on.

Feyenoord failed to score another goal in the second half, but so did we: we didn't score at all. The most important thing for us to do now is to focus on the next game.