Excelsior Rotterdam lost 9-0 to FC Twente in an Eredivisie match on Nov. 1, 2025, a defeat the club’s own players and coach have called its worst in history, football-zone.net reported. The match turned on a fifth-minute red card and ended with Excelsior conceding nine goals, five of them before halftime.
A Fifth-Minute Red Card Opened the Floodgates
Excelsior forward Nest Froon was sent off in the fifth minute for a studs-up challenge on the shoulder of Twente captain and defender Robin Pröpper. According to football-zone.net, the dismissal was the fastest red card an Excelsior player has received in Eredivisie history.
Down to 10 men so early, Excelsior conceded five goals in the first half and shipped nine overall, with the final score marking the heaviest defeat in the Rotterdam club’s history.
Van Gassel: The Team Abandoned Each Other
Goalkeeper Stijn van Gassel said the side gave up its fighting spirit once it went a player short. He pointed to last season’s meeting with the same opponent, when Excelsior also lost a man early but managed to hold its shape as a team.
This time, he said, everyone abandoned each other, and he called the performance scandalous despite the red card. He added that the only stroke of luck was that a tenth goal was not conceded, and that even with the game gone at 0-5 at halftime, the players could and should still have shown something for the supporters who paid for their tickets.
Den Uil Points to a Mental Collapse
Manager Ruben den Uil said the afternoon was the worst for everyone involved and that the team collapsed mentally. He said Excelsior gave away far too many chances and goals, and that failing to do one’s job at 0-2 or 0-3 amounts to letting teammates down. Conceding nine goals, he said, was not like Excelsior, and the matter is serious enough that the club must talk it through and carry out a fundamental review before the next match.
What the Defeat Changes for Excelsior
The 0-9 loss stands as the club’s record defeat and leaves Excelsior bottom of the Eredivisie table picture with a goal difference that now defines its season, while Twente’s nine-goal haul marks one of the biggest wins in the league this campaign.
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