AZ Alkmaar 1-1 Willem II: Five-Game Winning Run Ended by Devin Haen's Late Strike
SportSignals Match Desk ยท Football analysis desk ยท
AZ Alkmaar came into this Friday night Eredivisie fixture on the back of five straight wins. They had 67 per cent of the ball, 22 shots, 11 corners, and four big chances. They scored once. Willem II had 33 per cent of the ball, eight shots, and one big chance created. They also scored once. That is the match. That is the problem.
Clasie Puts AZ Ahead. Then It All Goes Wrong.
Jordy Clasie gave AZ the lead on 32 minutes, finishing with his right foot after being picked out by Mexx Meerdink. It looked comfortable. It looked like the start of another routine home win. The thing is, AZ stopped doing the basics that got them there. You do not get to switch off in this league. You get punished. End of.
Willem II had one big chance in the entire match. One. And Devin Haen put it away with his left foot on 81 minutes, set up by Uriรซl van Aalst. That is the kind of clinical finishing that wins you points you do not deserve. But AZ handed them the opportunity. You create four big chances and miss all four, you are asking for trouble. No argument. No excuses.
The Numbers Tell a Story AZ Will Not Want to Hear
Look at those statistics properly. AZ attempted 22 shots to Willem II's eight. AZ had 16 shots inside the box to Willem II's six. AZ produced 21 key passes. Willem II managed five. The gap in output was enormous. The gap on the scoreboard at full time was nothing.
AZ missed four big chances in this match. Four. Their goalkeeper was called upon for just one save all evening. Willem II's keeper made four. When your goalkeeper has almost nothing to do and you still cannot win the game, the issue is not defensive. It is ruthlessness. It is execution. AZ had the desire to attack. They did not have the clinical standards to finish the job.
Listen, 67 per cent possession is not an achievement if you end up with one goal from it. Possession is a tool. You use it to create. You use those creations to score. AZ did the first two parts and fell apart at the third. That is unacceptable when you are the home side, five wins from five, playing against a team who arrived with three defeats and a draw from their last four Eredivisie matches.
Willem II's Injury Crisis and How They Still Competed
Credit where it is due, Willem II came into this game carrying six players out injured. Four of those injuries were rated as moderate, one as major. They were short. They were stretched. And yet they stayed in the game, worked their way into the second half, and took their one moment when it arrived.
That is attitude. That is desire. A team under that kind of injury pressure, with 33 per cent of the ball and two shots on target, finding a way to get a point. Their defenders made 13 interceptions and 15 tackles. They competed. Nobody can say Willem II did not compete tonight.
Tonny Vilhena was shown a yellow card for a foul on 29 minutes and was substituted off on 70 minutes. Whether that was a precautionary decision or a tactical one, it freed up Kasper Boogaard to come on and add energy. Willem II made good use of their substitutions. Alessandro Ciranni also came on at that same point, replacing Per van Loon. The changes gave them fresh legs when AZ were starting to tire of carrying the ball without reward.
AZ's Substitutions Did Not Change the Outcome
AZ made five changes during the match. Valdemar Byskov replaced Clasie on 64 minutes, which was fair enough given the goalscorer had done his job. Weslley Patati came on for Calvin Stengs at the same time. Jizz Hornkamp replaced Mexx Meerdink on 78 minutes. Then Bendegรบz Kovรกcs and Ayoub Oufkir came on in the 87th minute, alongside another change just after full time was reached.
None of it made a difference. The damage was done. Haen had already scored. The issue was not the bench. The issue was the basics in front of goal for 90 minutes. You do not solve a finishing problem by making five substitutions. You solve it by taking your chances when they arrive.
What This Means for AZ
AZ came into this match having won five Eredivisie games in a row, scoring 16 goals in that run. Their last five included wins over SC Heerenveen, GO Ahead Eagles, Fortuna Sittard, Utrecht, and ADO Den Haag. The momentum was real. The form was real.
But there is a pattern worth noting in their broader form. Looking across the ten completed matches in the supplied sample, AZ had four draws in among their six wins. They are a team capable of letting games slip when they should be closing them out. Tonight confirmed that tendency has not gone away.
The thing is, AZ are still a good side. Their attacking output in this match was considerable. Thirty-three total crosses. Twelve accurate ones. One hundred and five dangerous attacks. The intention and the effort were not the problem. Accountability for missed chances is. Four big chances missed against a team arriving in poor form at a venue where AZ should be taking all three points. That is where the standards have to be higher.
The Verdict
AZ Alkmaar 1-1 Willem II. A fair result on one level, a frustrating one on another. AZ did enough to win this match comfortably. They did not win it at all. Willem II showed desire and defended with organisation despite being stretched by injuries. They competed. Haen took his moment. AZ paid the price for wastefulness in front of goal.
Five-game winning run over. One point instead of three. The standards on the pitch were not good enough when it mattered most. That is the only thing worth saying about tonight.