AZ leave it late to defeat ten-man FC Vaduz
AZ Alkmaar made it two wins from two in the UEFA Conference League on Thursday as they beat FC Vaduz 4-1. Vaduz played 30 minutes with ten men as Benjamin Buchel got sent off for the visitors when the score was 1-1. AZ scored three goals in the last 10 minutes to take the match.
FC Vaduz drew their first match in the Conference League last week against Apollon Limassol. AZ won their first match 0-1 away against Dnipro.
Youngster Yusuf Barasi had a shot taken off the goal line after 15 minutes by Vaduz defender Cedric Gasser When he had already gone past the Vaduz keeper. But Barasi got his goal four minutes later when his long speculative effort was deflected over Vaduz goalkeeper Benjamin Buchel.
Vaduz equalized three minutes later when fullback Anthony Goelzer received a pass from Tunahan Cicek. Goelzer smashed the ball past AZ keeper Hobie Verhulst.
AZ was given a boost after 60 minutes when Buchel was sent off for a challenge high challenge on Jens Odgaard. Reserve keeper Gion Chande came on to play the final half an hour.
The Alkmaarders scored the all-important second goal after 80 minutes when a Milos Kerkez cross was headed in from point blank range by centre-back Sam Beukema.
After surviving a few scares from Vaduz, AZ put the game to bed in injury time with two more goals. The goals were scored by right back Yukinari Sugawara and Dani De wit from another Milos Kerkez cross.
AZ are top of their Conference League group with six points. Dnipro-1 defeated Apollon Limassol 1-3 in Cyprus in the other match in this group, meaning they are now in second place.
