Feyenoord boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst has admitted that his side never recovered after going behind within 95 seconds against Manchester City on Wednesday night.
City smashed their Dutch opponents 4-0 away from home to make the perfect start to the Champions League group stages.
Centre-back John Stones netted a brace, his first after just a minute, while front pairing Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus each added another to seal the win.
"After that early goal, City grew more and more into the game and we struggled to keep up with the high pace that they played," van Bronkhorst told reporters.
"In the second half, we changed the system. We wanted to get more ball to get into our game, but that was difficult for this opponent.
"City is just one of the top teams in the world, we really had to have a good day to get a chance against them and we did not have that."
The result, which has taken City to the top of Group F on goal difference, stands the club in good stead for their next Champions League game against Shakhtar Donetsk at the Etihad.
Jonny Whitfield
