AZ is the first Dutch club to win the UEFA Youth League. The club’s under-19 team was much too strong for the Croatian Hajduk Split on Monday in Geneva, Switzerland, 5-0. Jayden Addai, Ernest Poku and Mexx Meerdink scored the goals.
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AZ’s talents were far too strong from the start for their Croatian peers, who had managed to eliminate renowned clubs such as Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan on their way to the final. However, the opening goal only came just before half-time, when Addai converted a penalty kick after Poku had been knocked down.
In the second half, the Alkmaarders ran further away from the Croats. Poku scored twice in a short time, after which Mexx Meerdink, who had come on at half time, was also accurate twice. The 19-year-old attacker, who played another 25 minutes in AZ’s Eredivisie match against RKC on Sunday, scored a total of nine goals in the Youth League – enough for the shared top scorer title.
In the UEFA Youth League, the under-19 teams come from clubs whose first teams have qualified for the Champions League, supplemented by teams that have won the under-19 age category in their own country. Before AZ reached the final, Ajax’s talents came the furthest in 2019/2020 with a place in the semi-finals.