AZ got stuck in-house on a draw against sc Heerenveen. After a quick goal against, Mexx Meerdink made it 1-1 with a questionable goal. That was also the final score in Alkmaar. The game was stopped for ten minutes after away supporters threw flares on the field.
A very bad start for AZ, because Heerenveen’s first chance was already in the net. Osame Sahraoui gave a hard cross, after which Sydney van Hooijdonk tapped the ball behind Mathew Ryan: 0-1. The Alkmaarders were not fooled and became dangerous through Vangelis Pavlidis, Yukinari Sugawara and Mats Köhlert. The German defender of Heerenveen almost scored an own goal. AZ seemed to press on, until the match was stopped after fireworks on the field. Jens Odgaard got the first chance after a ten minute break.
The Dane was also at the origin of the next possibility, but Pavlidis found Xavier Mous in his way. Heerenveen seemed to double their lead in the counter-punch. Pelle van Amersfoort hit the ball against the ropes, but a fellow player turned out to be offside. Sam Beukema headed on the post in injury time. The defender was back in the base for the first time since the away match against Heerenveen after an injury.
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As bad as AZ started in the first half, their start was strong after the break. Sven Mijnans was knocked out by Mous within five minutes, giving the Alkmaarders a penalty kick. Jesper Karlsson got behind the ball and missed the shot. Mous tapped the penalty on the crossbar. Karlsson also had the next big opportunity moments later.
AZ therefore continued to insist without result. It even came off well, after Beukema took a bet from Van Hooijdonk off the line. In the end, the Alkmaarders were paid for their work. The substitute Mexx Meerdink scored his first goal in the main squad after some commotion. The ball first seemed to be taken away from the line, but the VAR ruled that the ball was in: 1-1.
Due to the draw, AZ does rise to third place in the ranking, but PSV can take over. The people of Eindhoven will play against NEC from 8 p.m. AZ will be visiting Sparta Rotterdam next week.
Setup AZ: Ryan; Sugawara, Hatzidiakos (Mihailovic/74), Beukema, Kerkez; Clasie, Reijnders, Mijnans; Odgaard (Lahdo/64), Pavlidis (Meerdink/64), Karlsson (Van Brederode/74)