Feyenoord faced 14 attempts on goal from FC Twente in the first half, a record for a home game in the Eredivisie for Van Persie's side. The Premier League icon said his team were lucky and praised one member of his squad in particular.
"We played a very mediocre first half. Our attack and defence were terrible," Van Persie told ESPN. "We were lucky because Timon (Wellenreuther) really kept us in the game. We went into the break 0-1 down, and we had to be very happy with that."
It took Feyenoord 74 minutes to get on the scoreboard and get back alongside Twente. One minute after Goncalo Borges finally scored the equaliser, however, Luciano Valente was sent off with his second yellow card of the afternoon. The sending-off was the breaking point, Van Persie said.
"Until the red card, we played well and kept up the pressure. We created several chances and won a lot of duels. After that 1-1, you could feel that we had the momentum. Mentally, you have to be very strong when you get a red card. The lads proved that today."
Feyenoord failed to win a game for the ninth time in the last 13 matches, but that won't stop Van Persie from taking positives away from Sunday's game: "This feels like a point won, strange as that may sound."
The massive dip in form has caused pressure to mount on Van Persie, who on Friday said that he's still the right man for the job. After a tough two months, the winter break has come at a very pleasant point in time for the Rotterdam outfit, Van Persie acknowledged.
"When you look at where we are now, we have certainly had better periods. For the players in particular, this may be a good time to rest physically and mentally. It is a welcome break."
Feyenoord resume their season on January 11th, 2026, with an away game against Heerenveen.