FC Utrecht beat AZ to climb to second place; Ajax win 0-2 in Waalwijk
FC Utrecht beat AZ Alkmaar on Sunday night, putting them second in the Eredivisie league table. Troy Parrot had given AZ the lead in Alkmaar before Utrecht completed a comeback because of goals from Yoann Cathline and Paxten Aarsonsen.
Parrott scored the match's first goal after 24 minutes as AZ profited from a mistake in the Utrecht defence. Mike van der Hoorn left the ball for goalkeeper Vasilias Barkas, but this gave Sven Mijnans the space to get between the two and knock the ball wide to the Irish striker, who rolled it into the empty net.
The lead did not last long. Seven minutes later, Cathline received the ball on the wing before his shot was deflected into the bottom corner, making the game level again.
There were not many chances during the match, but it seemed like every shot went into the goal. The winning goal came from Aaronsen, who side-footed a cross from Sofian El Karouani into the net with one touch.
The game opened up somewhat after the 1-2. Jayden Addai had a chance to equalize for AZ before Victor Jensen headed a ball onto the crossbar before also heading the rebound onto the crossbar in the 72nd minute.
Incredibly, AZ also had a player hit the crossbar with two attempts in a row. Sven Mijnans crossed the ball into the box, and it was headed on to David Møller Wolfe, who headed it onto the bar before heading the rebound onto the bar in the same way that Jensen did for the away side.
Both sides are now level on 16 points this season. However, Utrecht is higher in the league table due to their superior goal difference.
Ajax followed up their impressive 4-0 win over Besiktas in midweek with a hard-fought 0-2 win against RKC Waalwijk on Sunday. The Amsterdammers have struggled this season with matches played after their matches in European competition.
Manager Francesco Farioli once more used a heavily rotated team. Youngsters Jayden Banel and Christian Rasmussen started on the wings, with Bertrand Traore and Mika Godts getting rested.
Ajax were in control in Waalwijk in the first half without creating many chances. Branco van den Boomen came closest after hitting the post with a free kick.
Farioli's side broke the deadlock in the 76th minute. Davy Klaassen's effort was saved onto the goalpost before the rebound came to Traore, who was brought on earlier in the match. The winger from Burkina Faso shot toward goal instantly, and it went in at the near post.
The match was over in the 94th minute when Mika Godts, the other winger who had come on, scored by placing the ball into the bottom corner.
