AZ behind, but much better than Heerenveen – Frisian fireworks bring duel to a halt

AZ-HEE | 16′ Now Alkmaar Fireworks

Smoke can still be seen in Alkmaar. Now it is the AZ fans who are setting off flares. They do keep the fireworks neatly just in the stands.

Meanwhile, AZ has completely taken over the match. Pascal Jansen’s team is attacking and getting chances. Heerenveen will not keep this up for long. The Frisians are not doing anything anymore. No two balls in a row went well.

AZ-HEE | 11′ Here we go again

The fireworks have been removed, the players have warmed up again and we’re playing again. See if we get to see some sporting fireworks now.

AZ-HEE | 10′ Fireworks on the field, literally

Striking moment: Heerenveen is ahead, AZ is putting a lot of pressure, it’s a fine match, with no grumbling among themselves. And suddenly there are some red flares on the field in front of the Heerenveen supporters’ box.

Referee Kamphuis doesn’t hesitate and stops the match. They go inside for a moment.

Strange action by the Heerenveen fans, but it wasn’t too bad for Van Wonderen’s team either, because AZ had Heerenveen under a lot of pressure for a while. Pavlidis had a big chance and a bit later Sugawara shot dangerously, but goalkeeper Mous saved.

AZ-HEE | 5′ Goal Heerenveen!

That’s fast! Heerenveen is already up 1-0. Sahraoui delivers a clever cross to the first post and striker Van Hooijdonk slides his long stilts out. Fine striker’s goal. Beukema comes just too late.

And admittedly, AZ goalkeeper Ryan does react very weakly to the roll.

Van Hooijdonk celebrates the goal with a jersey from Van Aken, the central defender who suffered a serious knee injury this week.

We’re playing in Alkmaar! Nice to pay extra attention: the battle on the flank of AZ’er Kerkez and Heerenveen’er Van Ewijk. Two young, attacking fast backs, who might prefer to attack rather than defend.

Maximilan Arnold is not having his best working day. The Wolfsburg captain heads beautifully into his own goal after only two minutes…. And just under fifteen minutes later he blasts a penalty kick into the stands. At halftime Augsburg leads 0-2.

We stay in Germany for a while: soon at 6:30 p.m. is the German topper Bayern Munich-Borussia Dortmund. Leader Dortmund has one point more than Bayern.

The season for midfielder Jorrit Hendrix appears to be over. The 28-year-old Dutchman broke his arm at training at his club Fortuna Dusseldorf (second Bundesliga).

The former PSV and Feyenoord player suffered a complex forearm fracture and required surgery, according to German media. How long Hendrix will be out is not exactly clear, but his season is in jeopardy.

AZ-HEE | These 22 start soon at 16.30

Heerenveen will not face an easy night in Alkmaar. Yes, Van Hooijdonk is playing, so is Haye, as is the speedy Oranje-believer Van Ewijk, but at the back the concerns are considerable. Goalkeeper Noppert (stomach muscle/lies) and defender Van Beek (Achilles tendon) were already in the sickbay, and defender Joost van Aken (knee) was added last week.

At AZ, the home team, Beukema is favored over Goes. Otherwise, the number four of the Eredivisie will play with the familiar starting players. With a win or a draw, AZ will move past PSV, which plays NEC later tonight.

Match report City-Liverpool

Manchester City narrowed the gap with leaders Arsenal to five points by knocking Liverpool off the field 4-1 at home. The guests still took the lead, but in the end Nathan Aké’s team was much too strong for ‘The Reds’ of Virgil van Dijk and Cody Gakpo.

In the first quarter of an hour, the home side had the best chances. Rodri shot once into the hands of goalkeeper Alisson Becker and Riyad Mahrez curled a free kick just wide of the goal. Yet it was Liverpool that took the lead.

After a 1-1 halftime score, it is now 3-1 in Manchester. Thanks to goals by Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan, the home side has a comfortable lead.

Vitesse coach Cocu happy it’s back to soccer: ‘Does something to players’

Haaland misses topper against Liverpool

The match has been on for an hour now, but Manchester City will play in the topper against Liverpool without super striker Erling Haaland. The Norwegian striker is still not fully recovered from the groin injury that also kept him sidelined during the last international period.

“He is not fit and does not feel well enough. It is not a serious injury, but the game against Liverpool comes too soon,” coach Pep Guardiola said before the start of the game, which began at 1:30 p.m.

Halfway through the match, it is 1-1 in Manchester.

Haaland was already 42 times on goal for his club this season. He has already made six hat tricks.

Nathan Aké did feature in the starting lineup at City. At Liverpool, as usual, there was a starting place for Virgil van Dijk. Cody Gakpo also started from the kickoff.

Manchester City is second in the Premier League, 8 points behind leaders Arsenal. Liverpool is ranked No. 6.

Destined for Ponypark Slagharen, now extremely successful at Sparta Rotterdam

Feyenoord and Sparta will be in action tomorrow. Earlier this week we spoke with some key players of the club from Spangen.

With Gerard Nijkamp (53), feelings win out over logic. Perhaps that is the secret of the technical director who turned relegation candidate Sparta into a Dutch sub-topper within a year.

For he seemed destined to succeed his father. Also a technical manager, but in the then Pony Park Slagharen.

“I did have my first side job there. My brothers Ben and Hein also worked there. Of whom the oldest, Hein, is still active at Pony Park City,” Nijkamp says. “My father would have liked me to have studied mechanical engineering. To learn a real trade, with which I would choose security. But most of all, as a child, I was completely obsessed with soccer.”

Today is April 1, so we go back in time for a moment

Even after fifty years, Theo Reitsma still shoots up in laughter. “I can still remember that incident well…,” says the now 80-year-old soccer commentator.

“We had figured out that he had signed a contract with Circus Boltini. I believe he was going to give crooked balls. In any case, a specialty of ‘The Crooked’. But of course that could never be done in a circus.”

The international period is behind us and that means the premier league continues again. Today we start playing round 27.

Five matches are scheduled today. AZ and sc Heerenveen kick off the premier league weekend at 4:30 pm. Excelsior and FC Twente can kick off at 6:45 p.m.

At 8 p.m. there are two matches: NEC-PSV and SC Cambuur-FC Emmen.

RKC Waalwijk and Vitesse will close the evening starting at 9 p.m.