Stepanov’s Excelsior Winner Sends Leverkusen Loanee Top of Eredivisie Charts

Bayer Leverkusen loanee Stepanov has taken his Eredivisie scoring run to five matches after his winner against Excelsior, moving him clear at the head of the league’s scoring list and matching a teenage milestone associated with Rafael van der Vaart.

The 19-year-old has scored in successive league fixtures against AZ Alkmaar, Sparta Rotterdam, PSV Eindhoven, Go Ahead Eagles and now Excelsior. His latest decisive goal continued an exceptional start in the Netherlands, although he admitted afterwards that Van der Vaart’s name meant little to him.

Asked about the previous youngest player to score in five consecutive Eredivisie games, Stepanov initially responded: “I don’t know these people. No, no, no, no, no. I don’t know.”

Once told that the former Ajax and Netherlands midfielder had produced a seven-match scoring streak as a teenager, the forward immediately set himself a new target. “Then I will try to break this record,” Stepanov said.

Feyenoord test next for Utrecht

Utrecht, managed by Anthony Correia, are 14th after collecting five points from their first six matches. They travel to Rotterdam to face Feyenoord on Sunday, September 20, in matchweek seven.

Stepanov will need another goal at Feyenoord to stretch his current run and move closer to Van der Vaart’s seven-game teenage sequence. Told he should watch footage of the Dutch great before the game, he replied: “I must, yes. I will go to bed today and watch.”