AZ earned more in the top match against Feyenoord. The Alkmaarders unfairly lost 0-1 in front of their own audience. AZ’s game sparkled for the first time in months and the Alkmaar club had chance after chance, especially in the first half. Mats Wieffer scored for the Rotterdam team.
The first whistle from referee Danny Makkelie at 2.30 pm signaled the start of a very exciting match. With Ruben van Bommel and starting debutant Jayden Addai on the wings, AZ went on the hunt for the first competition victory of 2024.
However, the home team fell behind early in the match. Feyenoord got a free kick just outside the penalty area. Quinten Timber shot this opportunity onto the post and Mats Wieffer scored from the rebound, 0-1.
AZ is growing
For a while, AZ was out of the lead, but the Alkmaarders slowly grew in the match with Vangelis Pavlidis as the driving force. The top scorer of the premier league created two nice opportunities. And because of those moments, the self-confidence of Maarten Martens’ team increased considerably.
While AZ did not produce a shot on target in Rotterdam (1-0) earlier this season, the North Holland club had one chance after another halfway through the first half. Certainly Dani de Wit and Pavlidis should have scored.
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In the early stages of the second half, the AZ players continued their convincing attacking play. Which was greatly appreciated by the Alkmaar fans. After months there was finally something to enjoy again and that was clearly audible from the stands.
The sparkle of the Alkmaarders diminished somewhat in the last half hour. The commitment and passion were still there, but the accuracy was lacking in the final phase. That then gave Feyenoord the belief that they could take the points to Rotterdam.
Debut Zeefuik
Just before the end, Lequincio Zeefuik came on. The physically strong attacker came over from FC Volendam last week. And he was close to the equalizer in the last minute. However, Timon Wellenreuther, the replacement for Justin Bijlow who had dropped out, kept the ball well out of the goal. And so AZ left the field empty-handed.
Despite the loss, AZ remains fourth in the rankings. Ajax has just as many points, but the Alkmaarders have a better goal difference. The home match against Almere City is scheduled for next weekend, but first AZ goes to Rotterdam on Wednesday for the quarter-final of the KNVB Cup against Feyenoord again.
AZ setup: Owusu-Oduro; Penetra (Van Brederode/83), Goes, Bazoer, Møller Wolfe (Zeefuik/83); Clasie, Mijnans (Belic/74), D. De Wit; Addai (Sadiq/62), Pavlidis, Van Bommel (Poku/46)