Furious Ronald Koeman Jr. lashes out at referee like never before

Ronald Koeman junior tore into referee Jeroen Manschot on ESPN immediately after Telstar's 3-4 defeat to Feyenoord. The home goalkeeper was furious with the second-half penalty awarded to the Rotterdam side.

Just over 50 minutes in, Feyenoord won a penalty for alleged handball by Telstar defender Abdelnour Soualhia. Manschot stuck with his decision after a lengthy VAR check, and Sem Steijn scored from the spot to make it 2-4.

Watching footage of the incident on ESPN, Koeman junior can't believe what he sees. "Oh, come on! If the ball hits him, it hits his head first," the goalkeeper says irritably.

Koeman junior points to an explanation he heard this week from head of referees Richard van Meenen about the ball coming off a player's own body and hitting a hand. "Then it's not handball."

Still seething, Koeman junior brings up Manschot again. "But yes, I really have to hold back. It's Jeroen Manschot again. Last year, in the KNVB Cup semi-final, he screws us over too," says the keeper, before qualifying his words somewhat: "Or 'screws us over'... We're a bit unlucky, of course."

Telstar tend to have decisions go against them at crucial moments, Koeman junior believes. "If you go 4-2 down or it stays 3-2, well, who knows, there might be a bit more in it," says the goalkeeper. He also stresses that his side can be proud of how they played despite the defeat.

Speaking to Manschot did little to ease Koeman junior's frustration. "He said to me: 'Ultimately, I make my own decision.' So I think he's been told off, that referees need to make more of their own decisions," the goalkeeper suspects. "I said to him: just let play continue, and if it really is handball, VAR will step in. But yes, it's difficult."

Steijn then converted the penalty convincingly. "Of course I hoped to save it, but he struck it pretty well," admits the keeper, who remains positive about Telstar's attacking style despite conceding four goals. "That's part of our game too, pressing high. Then, of course, you see Feyenoord's quality."

Despite the defeat, Koeman junior feels proud of his side, who fought back several times against the league leaders. "We suffered a few setbacks today, but we kept doing our thing and coming back," he stresses. "We just have to take this into next week, and then I have every confidence."