AZ dealt with Heracles Almelo at home on Saturday evening without impressing. Tijjani Reijnders gave the team of trainer Pascal Jansen the lead in the first half, after which Nikolai Laursen nodded in the equalizer just before half time. Thanks to a goal by Vangelis Pavlidis, the three points ultimately remained in Alkmaar: 2-1. With the victory, AZ comes with 45 points, respectively two and three points from Feyenoord and PSV, who will still be in action on Sunday.
At AZ, before the start of the game with Heracles, it was extensively said goodbye to Myron Boadu, who left for AS Monaco last summer. Pantelis Hatzidiakos returned to the base with the Alkmaarders after a suspension. His replacement Sam Beukema had an important part in the 1-4 victory over Go Ahead Eagles last weekend with two hits. Hatzidiakos’ return against Heracles was short-lived, however, as the Greek defender had to stop playing midway through the first half due to an injury to his right side. With Beukema in good shape, trainer Jansen had a worthy replacement ready. Both teams seemed to present the visitors in the AFAS Stadium with a rather lackluster first half, in which opportunities were scarce.
† The Alkmaar train thunders on: Tijjani Reijnders poeierts @AZAlkmaar ahead!#azher pic.twitter.com/5j6T2ZA8NH
— ESPN NL (@ESPNnl) February 19, 2022
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The opening goal of the home team came out of the blue, but that didn’t make him any less beautiful. The team of coach Frank Wormuth did not clear a corner from Jesper Karlsson well, after which Reijnders hit the ball hard through the bottom of the bar: 1-0. Where AZ thought they could go to the changing rooms with a minimal lead after 45 minutes, Heracles also proved extremely efficient on the stroke of half-time. After a nice foot movement by Bilal Basacikoglu, Ruben Roosken was released on the left wing. The back had a measured cross in the house to Laursen, who was able to convincingly nod in at the near post: 1-1.
AZ was unable to impress before halftime due to the stiff game, but had a true dream start in the second half. The first time that Jansen’s team put down a smooth attack against Heracles, it was immediately hit. Hakon Evjen gave in to Yukinari Sugawara, who gave the low. Pavlidis was lost sight of by Marco Rente, allowing the Greek striker to easily make it 2-1. Despite the new lead of the Alkmaarders, AZ did not manage to push through. The only serious opportunity in a less exciting second half came from Jesper Karlsson, who saw his volley go just wide.
Heracles Almeldo goalkeeper Janis Blaswich caused a stir by going on an adventure after a bad back pass and outplaying two opponents outside his box. The closing post was then saved by referee Ingmar Oostrom, who whistled for a foul after a schwalbe from Blaswich. In the final phase, the visitors were unable to make an attacking fist, so that AZ’s victory was never in danger.
| No. | Team | m | W | G | V | † | Pnt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ajax | 23 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 65 | 57 |
| 2 | PSV | 22 | 16 | 1 | 5 | 26 | 49 |
| 3 | Feyenoord | 22 | 15 | 3 | 4 | 33 | 48 |
| 4 | AZ | 23 | 14 | 3 | 6 | 18 | 45 |
| 5 | FC Twente | 22 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 41 |
| 6 | Vitesse | 22 | 11 | 3 | 8 | -9 | 36 |
| 7 | FC Utrecht | 22 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 35 |
| 8 | NEC | 23 | 8 | 7 | 8 | -4 | 31 |
| 9 | SC Cambuur | 22 | 9 | 3 | 10 | -9 | 30 |
| 10 | Fc Groningen | 22 | 6 | 7 | 9 | -6 | 25 |
| 11 | sc Heerenveen | 22 | 7 | 4 | 11 | -11 | 25 |
| 12 | Heracles Almelo | 23 | 6 | 5 | 12 | -8 | 23 |
| 13 | RKC Waalwijk | 23 | 5 | 8 | 10 | -12 | 23 |
| 14 | Go Ahead Eagles | 22 | 6 | 4 | 12 | -16 | 22 |
| 15 | William II | 23 | 6 | 3 | 14 | -21 | 21 |
| 16 | Fortuna Sittard | 22 | 5 | 4 | 13 | -26 | 19 |
| 17 | Sparta Rotterdam | 22 | 3 | 8 | 11 | -18 | 17 |
| 18 | PEC Zwolle | 22 | 4 | 4 | 14 | -19 | 16 |