AZ Alkmaar preserved their unbeaten start to the Eredivisie season with a 1-1 draw against Willem II on Friday night. Manager Leeroy Echteld's side took the lead through Jordy Clasie but saw victory slip away late on due to a goal from Devin Haen.
Statistical dominance
AZ were clearly the better side in the match at the AFAS Stadion. The home team enjoyed 66.6 percent possession and took 22 shots, with five on target. Willem II managed only eight attempts. AZ's pass accuracy was an impressive 89.8 percent, compared to 76.5 percent for the visitors. The Alkmaar side won eleven corners to Willem II's two. Despite these figures, the three points eluded them.
Clasie opens the scoring
Jordy Clasie put AZ ahead after thirty-two minutes. The midfielder found the net following an assist from young forward Mexx Meerdink. It was the veteran's first goal of the campaign. AZ continued to press but could not find a second. Willem II goalkeeper Robin Ruiter kept his team in the game with four saves.
Late setback
In the eighty-first minute, Willem II equalised. Uriël van Aalst set up Devin Haen, who fired an unstoppable shot past the AZ keeper. It was a harsh blow for AZ, who had dominated the match until that point. Referee Martin van den Kerkhof showed one yellow card, to a Willem II player.
Table and outlook
With this point, AZ Alkmaar sit second in the Eredivisie with 16 points from six matches. The team has won five and drawn one, with a goal difference of plus eleven. Their unbeaten league run now extends to five games. The next assignment is a home fixture against Telstar on Sunday, 20 September. Telstar currently occupy thirteenth place in the table. The full standings are available here.
The injury list remains short, with only Stije Resink sidelined long-term. The squad for the upcoming matches can be viewed on the squad page. The manager may adjust his lineup to find more cutting edge in front of goal.
