And so AZ can try again in the main tournament of the second-year tournament, in which the Norwegian Bodö/Glimt was eliminated in the eighth finals last season. On Friday afternoon (2.30 p.m.), AZ in Istanbul will enter the draw for the group stage.
The club from Alkmaar may add 2.94 million euros in starting premium, in addition to the bonuses of the five victories in the qualifying phase. A victory is good for half a million, so that AZ has already played football together more than five million.
Formality
Jansen did not want to take any risks in Northern Portugal and sent the same formation into the field with which AZ had overrun both Dundee United (7-0) and Gil Vicente (4-0). The purchase, who had recovered from groin complaints, Jens Odgaard had to sit on the reserve bench, knowing that his colleagues had fired live ammunition in his absence.
If it hadn’t already been the case, Dani de Wit could have relegated the match to a formality after 43 seconds. The shadow striker hit the post on a pass from Myron van Brederode with a dragging movement of his left leg. Three minutes later, De Wit headed over from a Jordy Clasie cross.
Salivating
Although Gil Vicente had to, AZ had the most offensive intentions in the course of the first half. Even though the North Hollanders, who saved their strength, played anything but full-throttle football. The home club didn’t make any sense at all and decided to look for the legs of a few young AZ players out of frustration: Van Brederode got a rock kick from Kevin Medina, while Matheus Buene planted his studs on Milos Kerkez’s calf.
Of course AZ should have gone to the dressing room with a lead. Especially after a dribble ‘á la Luis Suarez’ by Vangelis Pavlidis. The Greek striker fumbled past three Portuguese defenders but shot the post. Van Brederode shot past after a perfectly executed dribble that made the enthusiast’s mouth water.
Excellent Van Brederode
As quickly as De Wit was close to 0-1 in the first company, Hakon Evjen missed a resounding chance for the 0-1 right after the break. Also this time the excellent playing left winger Van Brederode was the principal. Handsome boy who will play the teenager from the base in the coming period. Anyway, sooner or later Jesper Karlsson will be fit again, if he doesn’t leave AZ before September 1.
The guests finally found the net at the hour, from the most beautiful attack from Alkmaar. Van Brederode once again started an adventurous dribble, Pavlidis thought, who set Evjen free for Brian Araujo. The Norwegian, freed on the right flank from the competition of (successively) Calvin Stengs, Albert Gudmundsson and Zakaria Aboukhlal, sent the ball over the Gil goalkeeper with feeling.
Lower limit
After the liberating opening goal, the spell for the eager Jansen Express was broken. Three minutes later, Tijjani Reijnders doubled the lead (0-2) after a run from his own half in which he apparently got a free passage from the home team, which really went through the lower limit in the second half.
After the 0-2, the big change had started. Jansen brought Mayckel Lahdo, Yuki Sugawara, Jens Odgaard, Yusuf Barasi and Mees de wit. That did not benefit the concentration, which heralded the home team’s goal of honor (2-1) just before time. AZ also believed it and saw Juan Boselli almost make the 2-2, but Hobie Verhulst made a good save. After that, the duel was quietly typed out. There are more important things waiting in the Eredivisie for the still unbeaten AZ. Such as the match against SC Cambuur, next Sunday afternoon in Leeuwarden.