Ueda Ayase scores four – hat-trick in the first half as Feyenoord win 6–0
In Matchday 15 of the Dutch Eredivisie, Feyenoord produced a statement performance with a 6–0 home win over PEC Zwolle. Leading the way was Japan national team striker Ueda Ayase, who exploded for four goals and extended his run to three consecutive games on the scoresheet in all competitions.
From the opening minutes Ueda was everywhere – dominating in the air, timing his runs in behind and attacking crosses with conviction. Over the 90 minutes he scored with a header, a composed right-footed finish, another towering header and a clinical strike from a corner, demonstrating the full range of his qualities as a modern centre forward.
Local media in the Netherlands described his display as “overwhelming” and “unplayable”. ESPN Netherlands selected him in their Team of the Week and named him Player of the Week (MVP), underlining how eye-catching his four-goal haul was across the league.
Goal timeline – Ueda’s four strikes vs Zwolle
The details of Ueda’s four goals against Zwolle highlight just how complete his performance was.
- 14th minute – powerful header from the left cross
Arriving in the box with perfect timing, Ueda met a cross from the left with a firm header to open the scoring. It also marked his third consecutive game with a goal in all competitions. - 20th minute – right-footed finish after a through ball
Breaking the defensive line with a sharp run, he latched onto a through pass and drilled a low right-footed shot at the near post. The speed of his movement and the composure of the finish stood out. - 42nd minute – towering header for the hat-trick
Rising above his marker with a very high contact point, Ueda powered another header into the net to complete his hat-trick before half-time, his second hat-trick of the season. - 55th minute – header from a corner
Early in the second half he attacked a corner kick, once again dominating in the air to score his fourth goal of the match and put the result beyond doubt.
By scoring in so many different ways – from open play and from a set piece, on the ground and in the air – Ueda showed that he is no longer just a poacher inside the box but an all-round striker capable of leading the line at the highest level.
Highlights – the shock of Ueda’s four-goal performance
Official highlight clips of the match, including all four of Ueda’s goals, have been shared on league and club channels. The sequence from his first header to the fourth goal from a corner has already been widely replayed on social media, with fans commenting on how “everything he touched turned to a goal” that day.
In addition to the goals, his link-up play, pressing from the front and constant movement between centre-backs left a strong impression on scouts and analysts watching across Europe.
18 league goals – outscoring Mbappé and Haaland, clear at the top of Europe
Thanks to this four-goal outburst, Ueda has now reached 18 goals in 15 league matches this season. The tally puts him ahead of global stars such as Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland in the current European golden-boot race, and he leads the Eredivisie scoring chart by a margin of eight goals over the player in second place.
While there are differences in league style and schedule, the simple fact that a Japanese striker is currently ahead of some of the biggest names in world football on raw goal numbers has inevitably drawn attention from media and clubs across Europe.
World Cup group stage: Japan and the Netherlands set to meet
The 2026 World Cup draw has placed Japan and the Netherlands in the same group, setting up a high-profile clash between Ueda’s national team and many of his club teammates and opponents. After the match, Feyenoord head coach Robin van Persie, a former Netherlands international himself, jokingly admitted in his interview that he was “a little worried about the Netherlands” – a comment that made headlines not just locally but also in Japan.
If Ueda can carry his current scoring form into the World Cup, he has every chance of becoming one of the breakout stars of the tournament. For now, though, his focus will be on keeping his feet on the ground and continuing to convert chances for Feyenoord week in, week out.
With each goal, the expectation grows: can Ueda continue his transformation from promising finisher into a genuine world-class striker? The four-goal demolition of Zwolle felt like another step towards that answer.
