AZ thrash FC Noah 4-0 to reach last 16 of the UEFA Conference League
AZ Alkmaar rectified their first leg defeat away to Armenian side FC Noah in the UEFA Conference League on Thursday with a convincing 4-0 win in Alkmaar. Sven Mijnans got a double with the other goals being scored by Ro-Zangelo Daal and Isak Jensen in the playoff round.
It means that the Alkmaarders will be in the draw tomorrow to find out their opponents in the last 16 of the competition. They will face either Sparta Prague or AEK Athens in the knockout round.
AZ started the game with Sven Mijnans and Kees Smit playing in midfield. Both players have just returned from an injury and were only able to play for an hour, according to the manager Leeroy Echtold.
The Alkmaarders made the perfect start in the AFAS Stadium. A shot from Smit was blocked, resulting in it looping into the air before Ro-Zangelo Daal volleyed it hard into the bottom corner.
Their second goal came in the 39th minute. A pre-planned free-kick routine worked perfectly as Peer Koopmeiners played a low pass to Sven Mijnans, who took one touch before punting it into the goal.
Mijnans got his second in the 54th minute. Daal added an assist to his goal with a low cross into the danger area, where Mijnans had found space. His shot went into the goal via Noah’s keeper Aleksey Ploshchadnyi.
Daal almost got his second goal of the game in the 65th minute when Elijah Dijkstra found the winger in the box, but his finish with his weaker left foot went wide of the post.
AZ’s fourth goal came in injury time. Mexx Meerdink and Troy Parrott combined, as they have often done in the last few weeks, with this resulting in a shot from Parrott that was saved before Isak Jensen hooked the ball home.
It was a convincing win for Pechtold’s side, who will now focus their attention on the league game against Utrecht on Sunday.
