FC Twente’s Europa League journey came to a disappointing end on Thursday night as the Dutch side failed to overturn their first-leg deficit against Ferencváros, drawing 2-2 in Hungary but losing the tie 4-3 on aggregate. A spirited late fightback came too late to keep their European hopes alive.
Early Mistakes Leave Twente with a Mountain to Climb
Heading into the second leg trailing 2-1, Twente stuck with the same starting lineup, with Wout Weghorst leading the attack while Sam Lammers began on the bench. However, the visitors struggled to impose themselves early as Ferencváros controlled much of the opening stages.
The breakthrough came after Thomas van den Belt conceded a penalty with a clumsy challenge, allowing Toon Raemaekers to calmly convert from the spot and extend the Hungarian side’s aggregate advantage.
Twente were handed a lifeline before half-time when Philippe Rommens was shown a straight red card following a VAR review for a dangerous challenge on Ramiz Zerrouki. Despite playing against ten men for more than half the match, the Dutch side continued to lack creativity in the final third.
Instead of mounting a comeback, Twente suffered another setback early in the second half. Joseph produced a brilliant solo run from inside his own half before firing past Lars Unnerstall to make it 2-0 on the night, leaving the visitors with an almost impossible mountain to climb.
Late Fightback Not Enough to Avoid Elimination
The response finally arrived in the closing stages. Wout Weghorst reduced the deficit in the 82nd minute by converting Marko Pjaca’s header, and moments later Lucas Vennegoor of Hesselink nodded home a dramatic equaliser to make it 2-2.
Twente pushed desperately for the winning goal that would have forced extra time, but Stav Lemkin’s late header sailed just over the crossbar, ending their hopes of a remarkable turnaround.
Although eliminated from the Europa League qualifiers, FC Twente’s European adventure is not over. The Dutch club now drops into the UEFA Conference League third qualifying round, where they will face FC DAC 1904 in another bid to reach the league phase.
