Nerves get the better of AZ

Saturday 18 April 2009

In a game that was as unexpected as it was nerve-wracking AZ suffered defeat at the hands of Vitesse Arnhem (1-2) on Saturday and had to postpone their championship celebrations until next week.

Or Ajax would have to lose at PSV Eindhoven on Sunday.

The defeat against Vitesse was only the third of the season and the first since 13 September 2008, so it was a bizarre night in the DSB Stadium.

A night that started upbeat with the joy of the imminent league title, but that finished in a minor key.

The 2-1 defeat against Vitesse has put a lot of doubt in the heads of all supporting AZ and with the fixtures remaining (Ajax and FC Twente away, Heerenveen at home) there are plenty of people who fear AZ are going to give it away again, and this time in an even more dramatic fashion than they did two years ago, on the last day against Excelsior.

Only Ajax will be able to reach the same amount of points as AZ (when they win all of their three remaining games, and AZ lose all of them) and with Ajax-AZ being scheduled for next week Amsterdam is quietly hoping for a miracle.

Yet it had all started so well for AZ against Vitesse.

Topscorer Mounir El Hamdaoui put them ahead halfway through the first half and all seemed to go as planned.

But AZ showed complacency and then all of a sudden out of the blue came Ricky van Wolfswinkel who benefited from sloppy defending by AZ and slotted home for the unexpected and unwanted equalizer.

After the interval the men of Louis van Gaal went looking for a second goal much more eagerly but build up was inaccurate and Vitesse held on without any serious difficulties.

El Hamdaoui did score a second, but it was disallowed for offside.

Then when good news came from Rotterdam (Twente were 1-0 down against Feyenoord) and all knew that a draw would be sufficient to win it, AZ halted their efforts and they paid dearly.

A lightly given free kick was taken quickly, the AZ defense was taken unaware and when Gilles Swerts made a last desperate attempt to block Alexander Büttner shot he deflected the ball and gave it an effect that made it curl over Joe Didulica into the far corner: 1-2.

The two goals Vitesse scored were only the fifth and the sixth AZ had conceded in the entire season at home, but they couldn't have come at a worse moment.

In the ten minutes remaining Van Gaal put on two new forwards in a desperate attempt to get the needed equalizer, but only midfielder Stijn Schaars went close with a free kick from just outside the box.

After the final whistle the red-and-white clad home fans went home quietly, some in tears, some confident they would get the needed point next week and celebrate in the Amsterdam Arena

But there were also those with real fear for the worst case scenario and an even more dramatic finish than they have seen to the 2007 season.

AZ Alkmaar - Vitesse Arnhem

Score

Goals

Lineups