FC Twente, AZ still tyring for Champions League qualifiers with 1 match left to play
The battle between FC Twente and AZ for third place in the final standings of the Eredivisie will only be decided in the final round of play next week. The team that takes third place punches a ticket to the next edition of the Champions League, and will enter the third qualifying round.
Both teams were victorious in their penultimate match of the season. FC Twente defeated the already-relegated FC Volendam (7-2), and AZ successfully dispatched Go Ahead Eagles (0-3) in an away match.
FC Twente will be defending a 2-point lead over AZ on the last matchday. The club from Enschede will be ending their season with an away match against PEC Zwolle. AZ will receive FC Utrecht to end their Eredivisie campaign this season.
FC Twente fell behind twice in the first half, but came back with a vengeance to ultimately go into halftime with a 5-2 lead. Damon Mirani gave FC Volendam the lead twice. Ricky van Wolfswinkel (1-1) and Naci Ünüvar (2-2) equalized for the home team.
Robin Pröpper, Youri Regeer and Sem Steijn allowed the home team to take a large lead (5-2) in the last eight minutes of the first half. Steijn scored his sixteenth and seventeenth competition goals in the second half.
AZ distanced itself from Go Ahead Eagles in the final phase of the first half. Ibrahim Sadiq scored the opening goal in the 39th minute. Sven Mijnans also scored just before half-time. Sadiq failed to score his second goal in the second half. The attacker missed in front of an open goal after a calculated cross from Vangelis Pavlidis. Sadiq did provide the assist to Myron van Brederode's 0-3 in the 77th minute.
Reporting by ANP