Feyenoord caused a big surprise in the UEFA Champions League by beating Bayern Munich 3-0 in Rotterdam on Wednesday, securing a berth in the knockout phase play-offs.

The atmosphere in De Kuip stadium was electric, with around 50,000 spectators braving the cold and rain for the match pitting the fourth-ranked side in the Dutch Eredivisie against the Bundesliga leaders.

Bayern dominated the ball possession, but the home team showed some staunch defensive play and was more effective. Mexican striker Santiago Gimenez collected a long pass from Gijs Smal before opening the scoring in the 21st minute.

On the stroke of halftime Feyenoord was awarded a penalty, which was converted by Gimenez for his second goal of the evening.

In the second half, Feyenoord goalkeeper Justin Bijlow had some brilliant saves, including one on a header by Jamal Musiala, and Leroy Sane headed on the post. Japanese substitute Ayase Ueda secured the win in the 89th minute.

With the morale-boosting win, Feyenoord jumps to 11th place and has already secured a place in the play-offs, while Bayern drops to 15th. The top eight sides in the league phase qualify automatically for the round of 16, while the teams finishing between 9th and 24th compete in the two-legged knockout stages to secure their path to the last 16.