AZ failed to qualify for the group stage of the Europa League on Thursday evening. A week after the 2-0 defeat at Celtic, Pascal Jansen’s team managed to step off the field as the winner, but the club from Alkmaar was one goal short to force an extension: 2-1. Celtic will thus continue in the Europa League, while AZ can prepare for the Conference League.
The start of AZ was without a doubt dramatic. Like last week, Kyogo Furuhashi opened the scoring on behalf of Celtic, but this time he did it after just three minutes. The attacker was able to tap in from close range after a cross from Liel Abada. AZ’s reaction, however, should be there. Three minutes later, Zakaria Aboukhlal pushed well on goalkeeper Joe Hart, blocked his attempt to clear the ball and scored: 1-1.
Jansen’s team tried fleetingly to force a second goal, but the efforts of Yukinari Sugawara and Jesper Karlsson were too uncontrolled and imprecise. Fortunately, after 26 minutes of play, AZ still managed to score 2-1: Carl Starfelt worked the ball into his own goal from close range in a somewhat clumsy way. Although the Alkmaarders were the dominant party in the remainder of the first half, there were no more goals until the break.
The pattern of the first half seemed to continue in the second half. A shot by Vangelis Pavlidis landed in Celtic’s defense and Hart had to push hard to deflect a low bet from Aboukhlal into the left corner. The visitors from Glasgow, however, managed to get the rhythm out of the game and AZ immediately found their way to Hart’s goal less. Jansen’s players looked somewhat frustrated and saw how Celtic were close to 2-2 via Adam Montgomery.
Jansen intervened in the last twenty minutes and took Vangelis Pavlidis, Aboukhlal and Fredrik Midtsjö to the side for Albert Gudmundsson, Ernest Poku and Sam Beukema. The last two were close to 3-1 in minute 78: after a cross from Beukema, which had been inserted as a battering ram, Poku slid the ball wide from close range. ‘All or nothing’, it sounded from the stands of the AFAS Stadium. Although all the field players of AZ looked for the attack, the third goal of the North Hollanders did not fall.