AZ Alkmaar Wins Against Sparta Prague and Moves on to the Quarter-Finals

Last Thursday, Sparta Prague faced AZ Alkmaar again in the second leg.the round of 16 of the conference league. AZ Alkmaar won against Sparta with a surprising 4-0 win at Epec stadium in the Czech Republic, with this win AZ Alkmaar moves on to the conference league quarter-finals, with an aggregate score of 6-1, a score that silences the home crowd in Prague.

(Image Credits to AZ.nl)

AZ Alkmaar arrived in the capital of the Czech Republic with a very minimal lead of 2-1 from the first leg. Sparta Prague started the match with a lot of confidence, so the host needed a strong start if they wanted to win the match and they did almost score a couple of times, however the defense from AZ Alkmaar remained disciplined and didn't give Sparta much space throughout the opening period.

These were the line-ups for the second leg:

AC Sparta Prague: Surovcik, Sonne, Kaderabek, Zelený, Uchenna, Sochůrek, Kairinen, Vojta, Mercado, Kuchta

AZ Alkmaar: Zoet, de Wit, Penetra, Goes, Kasius, Daal, Mijnans, Smit, Koopmeiners, Jensen, Parrott

First Half 

The match began with a lot of intensity from Sparta Prague, they attempted to pressure the AZ Alkmaar backline early on in the match, but they remained strong. Jensen scored early in the 8th minute after collecting a pass from Kees Smit, he shot it strongly into the goal and gave AZ Alkmaar the early lead. This goal made Sparta Prague realise that they had to pick the pace.

The home team had most of the ball possession in the first half, but failed to score, but AZ on the other hand was quickening the pace and looking for gaps in the defense of Sparta Prague. The first half ended in a 1-0 lead for the visors.

Second Half

AZ Alkmaar took full control over the ball after the interval. The midfield trio of Koopmeiners, Smit and Mijnans dominated the midfield area. Sparta Prague sadly committed several fouls to get AZ out of the flow of the game, this resulted in some yellow cards. The Czech side struggled to create good chances against the defense.

The 2-0 arrived in the 58th minute, where Troy Parrott shot it into the goal this time. Az continued to press against Sparta defense, and the 3-0 was added shortly after. To end any hope of a comeback that Sparta might have left. In the 86th minute Daal made the 4-0 after receiving an assist from Parrott.

The final whistle confirmed the victory for the visitor. AZ Alkmaar finished the match with 55% ball possession. The 6-1 aggregate win shows the tactical growth of the team under the new management. Sparta Prague's adventure in the conference league is sadly finished, after a home game that nobody expected.

AZ Alkmaar can now start focussing on their upcoming conference league against FK Sjachtar Donetsk played on the 9th of April. The teams showed good finishing and a strong defense. This result extends their run in the conference league this season.

Article written by Zoë Wokke