For a long time it looked like the team of Maarten Martens failed to send the football cute with a big defeat back to Liechtenstein, but in the final phase it was still ample. As a result, the return in Vaduz is normally a formality next week.
Mexx Meerdink makes a deep impression with gem: ‘Once in a while you see an exceptional goal’
If there was also underestimation for AZ, then that was for the home game with FC Vaduz. And not only, because the Alkmaarders had booked a resounding victory over Ilves Tampere a week earlier (5-0).
AZ meets football dwarf in Alkmaar
The team of Martens met at home a club from the five thousand inhabitants of Liechtenstein, the principality that occupies the 204th place in the FIFA ranking. That is not so strange, because the dwarf state in Central Europe has forty thousand inhabitants, slightly more than, for example, the South Holland town of Gorinchem.
Placement for competition phase Conference League of great importance: ‘AZ in Learning Process European Rhythm’
The fact that the team of the Swiss Marc Schneider can still end up in the (preliminary round of the) Conference League has to do with the fact that ‘world record holder’ FC Vaduz also won the Liechtenstein cup for the 51st time in its 93th anniversary. In a competition context, the Liechtensteiners end up in the Challenge League, at the second level of Switzerland. Schneiders selection has an estimated market value of a total of 4.25 million euros, an amount that the AZ players are worth almost average.
Joy at AZ after the opening goal of Troy Parrott. The striker is congratulated by Denso Kasius, © ANP/HH
Jordy Clasie Absent
Someone who could possibly call it to order too nonchalant teammates is Jordy Clasie. But the captain was missing in the AFAS stadium. The Captain has a special training program, was saved and and can normally make its appearance against FC Groningen-home on Sunday. Clasie, who was replaced by Peer Koopmeiners, but gave his captain’s band to Sven Mijnans, must have been banging in the first company.
The Alkmaarders played dutifully and FC Vaduz-with Ronaldo Dantas Fernandes as the best man-had a simple answer to the home club’s game, which changed far too little and too slowly and was predictable because the offside players Rozangelo Daal and Ernest Poku only led the ball in the feet. After Liechtenstein pin pricks, a depth of Denso Kasius was needed to break the ban in the 29th minute. The right back received the ball from Poku and served Troy Parrott (1-0). The Irishman should also have made the 2-0 nine minutes later, but Dominik Schwizer took the ball off the line.
Mexx Meerdink with world goal
The second Alkmaarse Treffer seemed to fall after a tight quarter after the break, but the own goal, from a cross from Kasius, was rejected because Alexandre Penetra had put a block in offside position. Poku missed a spacious opportunity, after which Martens with the introduction of Isak Jensen for Daal tried to give his team a new boost. Parrott’s 2-0 after 74 minutes made a relief at the fans, who only really went crazy six minutes later, after substitute Meerdink ‘picked’ the ball from the sky and with a pirouette provided a beautiful goal (3-0). The birthday Kees Kist saw it in the stands with a big smile.