AZ Alkmaar fall to narrow defeat against FC Noah in Conference League play-off first leg
AZ suffered defeat in the first leg of the UEFA Conference League play-off round against Armenian side FC Noah on Thursday. A long-distance strike from Hovhannes Hambardzumyan was the difference between the two sides in Yerevan. The second leg will be played next week.
AZ started the game without their talented midfielder, Kees Smit. He has missed a month of football due to injury. Their captain, Sven Mijnans, made his first start since returning from injury.
Two significant chances were both created by the home side in the first half. In the opening stages, left back David Sualehe played a good cross into the box towards the team’s striker, Nardin Mulahusejnovic, but Alexandre Penetra got a foot onto the ball, which led to a deflection off the striker and over the goal.
The game was shortly halted midway through the first half when a supporter ran onto the field during an AZ attack. He was apprehended and dragged off the field.
The bigger chance came a few minutes before halftime. Gustavo Sangaré dribbled past Peer Koopmeiners and put the ball onto Mulahusejnovic’s head, but his header was straight at goalkeeper Jeroen Zoet from close range.
Noah took the lead in the 53rd minute. Hammbardzumyan had come forward from the right back position to the edge of the box, where he received the ball and hit a first-touch shot high into the far corner.
The goal was a catalyst for AZ to create some chances, with Irish striker Troy Parrott hitting the post on two occasions.
First, a long ball from Wouter Goes was intercepted by Noah defender Nathanaël Saintini. The Saintiani was only able to head the ball upwards, resulting in it landing right to Parrott, who got the ball past Aleksey Ploshchadnyi, but it hit the post before going out for a goal kick.
Parrott hit the post for the second time in the 89th minute. Substitute Mexx Meerdink played a lobbed pass to Parrot, the ball bounced up, and the Irishman got enough on it to loop it over Ploschadnyi, but it once again came back off the post.
It was a hectic final minute in the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium. First, Zoet was forced into a safe to prevent Matheus Alas from doubling the home side’s lead before AZ created their biggest chance of the game with what was literally the last kick of the game. A cross from Kasper Boogaard found Smit, who had come on midway through the second half, with Ploschadnyi completely out of position, but Smit’s header was straight at the keeper, and the referee blew the final whistle right after.
AZ face Sparta Rotterdam in Alkmaar on Sunday before hosting the Armenians, who became the first ever Armenian club side to score against a Dutch team with the first half goal.
