AZ had to go all the way in tonight’s cup match against FC Utrecht (1-2), but was then left with nothing. To their great disappointment, the Alkmaarders are out in the eighth finals of the KNVB Cup. Breaking point was the second Utrecht goal in the first half of extra time. “It’s a shame, so quickly in extra time,” said AZ defender Pantelis Hatzidiakos.
The fact that the players (including extra) time have been on the field for 138 minutes should not be an excuse for the next match, says Hatzidiakos. The home game against Excelsior awaits on Friday. “That’s fine, we love football. We shouldn’t complain and be big guys.”
In the meantime, AZ has not won three games in a row. kept in the Premier League FC Utrecht (5-5) and FC Volendam (1-1) the team of trainer Pascal Jansen on a draw. Tonight it was equal again after ninety minutes, but the 1-2 defeat followed in extra time. Nevertheless, Jansen had clearly seen improvement.
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Jesper Karlsson missed a penalty just before time. Whether that means whether the Swede has to let someone else go ahead with a next penalty, Jansen kept in the middle, “If you miss, we have to see if the list stays intact.”
You can follow AZ’s league match against Excelsior on Friday directly on NH Raido. The kick-off is at 8 p.m. in Alkmaar. The broadcast starts at 7:00 PM.