Yankuba Minteh won’t forget his first major medal in bizarre cup final appearance


 
 
 
 
 
 

What a day for Yankuba Minteh.

His first major cup final containing the full set of emotions.

Sunday saw Feyenoord up against NEC, who were 25 points behind them in the league.

Yankuba Minteh and his teammates having another small advantage, as the cup final was played at their home ground!

This isn’t some special one-off advantage they had been awarded, as the Dutch Cup final since 1989 has always been played at De Kuip.

Sunday’s cup final going to plan, when Feyenoord eventually made the breakthrough on 59 minutes, Igor Paixao getting the goal.

However, in the space of 60 seconds everything changed for Yankuba Minteh, as he picked up a yellow card in the 71st minute and then another in the 72nd.

A devastated 19 year old leaving the pitch, wondering if he had cost his loan club the chance of a trophy.

Feyenoord then got through the remaining 18 minutes of normal time that remained, plus another eight minutes that were added. The final whistle then blowing to the massive relief of the Newcastle United loan star.

😁 https://t.co/BseUjisJLI pic.twitter.com/Zc3CaTE7ej

— Feyenoord Rotterdam (@Feyenoord) April 21, 2024

Ironically, in the previous 27 domestic league and cup appearances this season, Yankuba Minteh hadn’t received a single yellow card, until the two in this cup final.

Congratulations to him and his loan teammates and hopefully the first of many medals Yankuba Minteh is going to win in his club career…

His raw talent and pace has increasingly led to goals and assists as the season has went on, which have combined with becoming a regular in the starting eleven for Feyenoord, instead of roughly half and half starting, or on the bench.

As well as scoring for the Dutch side in the Champions League against Celtic, this season Yankuba Mineth has thirteen direct goal involvements for Feyenoord in the league, scoring nine and four assists.

However, ending the season very strongly, the 19 year old NUFC loan star had eight direct goal involvements (six goals and two assists) in just his last nine matches for Feyenoord, heading into this cup final.

Feyenoord went into the cup final having already guaranteed themselves second place in the league with a 1-0 win at Fortuna Sittard and the guarantee of Champions League football next season. With four games to play they are 12 points clear of Twente and with a 28 goals advantage on goal difference over the third placed team.

Good luck to Yankuba Minteh in the remaining league games, then over to Eddie Howe and Newcastle United, as they decide what to do next season with the exciting young winger.

Ahead of the cup final, Yankuba Minteh talked to Algemeen Dagblad over in Holland, saying he was loving his progress this season and now just a case of seeing what NUFC will decide ahead of the 2024/25 campaign:

“Things are going well with Feyenoord.

“I am developing myself here.

“You look at the bigger picture.

“I am young and I am here to learn.

“Sometimes my decisions [on the pitch] were terrible [earlier this season with Feyenoord] but you learn quickly.

“I can’t say anything about my future [for next season] yet.

“We will see what Newcastle United, where I’m under contract, will decide.

“However, another year at De Kuip [with Feyenoord], I wouldn’t mind that of course.”