Exclusive: Hancko Thrilled with 'Special' Goal against Man City, Confident about Feyenoord's Champions League Prospects

David Hancko is optimistic about Feyenoord's Champions League progression after their 3-3 draw with Manchester City, describing his goal against the English side 'special'.

The Dutch team secured a remarkable result at the Etihad Stadium, overcoming a three-goal deficit with 15 minutes remaining against Pep Guardiola’s side in the European competition.

The Slovakia international sealed the comeback in the dramatic six-goal thriller, as City became the first team in competition history to lead by three goals as late as the 75th minute and fail to secure a win.

"They had a lot of entries into our box and plenty of crosses. But then we improved a little. I moved Quinten (Timber) slightly further forward. Actually, the first half went as we expected but a goalless draw would have been even better," Hancko told SportsBoom.com. 

"But then we felt that, at least a few times in the first half, we managed to find the free man while on the ball. However, two quick goals right after halftime made things difficult. It wasn’t easy, but we kept pushing, and in the end, we got our reward."

CITY RESULT A REWARD FOR PERSISTENCE

The result revived the hopes of Brian Priske’s side, whose chances of advancing to the knockout phase had been dwindling after their 3-1 home defeat to Austrian side Salzburg.

"I still don't know [how it happened]. It's something unbelievable. I'm really proud of the boys. We kept going, and in the end, we got the reward because we kept pushing," he continued. 

"We didn't expect the last 20 minutes. We knew they would dominate possession against any team, so we decided to try a different approach.”

"We always wanted to go man-to-man, but this we aimed to be more secure. They are great players. Maybe it wasn’t our usual level of performance—whether on the ball, in pressing, or in how dangerous we were.”

"Of course, we had a little bit of luck, but we worked for it. The guys kept pushing, especially our forwards. Defensively, we knew we’d have to work hard, but also, our players like Igor [Paixao], Anis [Hadj Moussa], and Julian [Carranza] were battling the whole game, along with our midfielders. So, yeah, big credit to everyone."

A GOAL HANCKO WILL NEVER FORGET 

Anis Hadj Moussa sparked the fightback, followed by Santiago Gimenez, before Hancko sealed the draw with a goal assisted by Igor Paixao, who capitalized on a mistake by goalkeeper Ederson.

In addition to saving his team from defeat, what made the goal particularly special for the 26-year-old was that it came against one of the best teams in the world—a club he had closely followed as a child.

"Yeah, of course, for me, it's something special. When I was a young kid, I started watching these clubs. I saw so many matches here, and now I’ve scored here. It’s something I didn’t even expect," he stated. 

"It was such an in-the-moment experience. I think the picture after I scored, when I looked straight at our fans, is something I’ll never forget.

"I write down what I need to do before each game, and [on Tuesday] I even wrote, "You’re going to score." But, when I moved to left-back in the final minutes, I told Thomas, "Last five minutes, it’s 3-2. I’m going to take a risk." 

"Igor played a perfect ball—though I was shouting at him, I’m not sure he could hear me! I just stayed focused on putting it in. For me, as a kid watching the Champions League, to score a goal to make it 3-3 at this level is incredible.”

"We’re creating memories not just for ourselves in the locker room, but hopefully for all the Feyenoord fans as well. And, of course, I’ll never forget this."

QUALIFICATION HOPES REVIVED 

Hancko believes that securing a draw against the reigning English champions has sparked a belief within Feyenoord’s squad that they can advance to the next round.

The Eredivisie side will host Sparta Prague in their next match in December. The defender is eager to face his former team, but more importantly, he is focused on securing a victory.

"Yeah, we’re just earning points away for now, but it’s time to change that. Of course, it’s going to be a really special game for me because I love this club. It means a lot to me, and I still have many friends there,” revealed Hancko. 

"But I'm going to take it very seriously, just like every game, focusing on my performance and striving to play my best.”

"Our result against City has put us in a strong position to qualify, so we understand the stakes when we face them next."

To secure a spot in the knockout stage of the 2024/25 Champions League, Feyenoord must focus on improving their results in the remaining group-stage matches, following the new 'Swiss-style' format.

The top eight teams automatically advance to the knockout rounds, while those finishing between 9th and 24th will need to win a two-legged play-off to reach the last 16.

With the competition heating up, Feyenoord will need to accumulate as many points as possible in their remaining matches to finish in the top 24 and avoid elimination.