Just before time, AZ seemed to be sitting on roses, but the match against Heerenveen turned completely in the wrong direction. A 2-1 lead changed in stoppage time like snow in the sun, as a result of which the Frisians won the first leg of the play-offs 3-2. “That sucks,” says defender Sam Beukema, who sees AZ hand over the game for the fourth time in the last seven games.
Sam Beukema is despondent by the collapses – NH Sport / Stephan Brandhorst
In addition, AZ did not win for the fifth game in a row, and that in the crucial phase of the season. Beukema, who operated as a central defender in a five-man defense, did not want to say that the poison cup must be completely empty. “Those are your words now, but it is very sour again,” says Beukema, who was pleased with the way AZ played until the final phase.
“It’s not the first time this has happened”
For the umpteenth time, the Alkmaarders fell behind in the second half, but a nice long shot from Hakon Evjen repaired the damage within a minute. Vangelis Pavlivis seemed to be the match winner with the 2-1, but everything went wrong in injury time. “It is not the first time that this has happened,” says Beukema, who has no explanation for the two goals against. “The last few minutes you know that there are going to be crosses and corners. Then we have to do what we have done for 88 minutes and that is just keep control and finish the game.”
Kerkez . basic debut
For Milos Kerkez it was a game with two faces. The left back made his first appearance in the starting lineup, because Owen Wijndal was not fit. “It was an honor to start in the starting line-up,” Kerkez said afterwards. “I still had a lot of adrenaline for the first five to ten minutes and after that it went fine. But it can always be better. For the first time it was fine.”
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Milos Kerkez made his basic debut at AZ – NH Nieuws
On Sunday at 2.30 pm, AZ has the chance to undo the deficit. Then the return of the semi-finals of the play-offs awaits. In case of a win, the Alkmaarders still have to win the final over two matches for a place in the second preliminary round of the Conference League.
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