Peer Koopmeiners makes it 2-2 in the fifth minute of injury time and keeps AZ in the European hunt.
FC Twente missed a great opportunity in Alkmaar to jump to third place in the Eredivisie. AZ struck back deep into injury time: Peer Koopmeiners made it 2-2 in the fifth minute of extra time and thus equalized a direct positioning battle. The point therefore felt too small for Twente.
It was precisely the timing that caused greater damage to Twente. An equalizer in the fifth minute of injury time leaves little room for recovery and suddenly turns an almost completed assignment into a missed opportunity. In a match where position outweighed spectacle, one late phase became decisive for the entire evening.
For AZ, the value was mainly in refusing to lose. The team did not get three points, but did prevent Twente from leaving in the European race with a direct hit. Koopmeiners' goal kept the scores closer and gave AZ a result that felt bigger than an ordinary draw.
The context makes the 2-2 sharper. Twente not only played against AZ, but also against the chance to immediately control the rankings. Such moments count double in a European battle in which mutual duels can set the tone.
A victory would have given Twente a clear message; Now the feeling that the door was open and yet not being pushed through was lingering. AZ got fuel at the same time. The team prevented a competitor from leaving Alkmaar with three points and an extra position advantage.
That makes the draw more useful than the figures alone show. The late 2-2 kept AZ in the conversation, kept Twente within reach and prevented the European hunt from becoming a more one-sided story. The consequences are clear.
Twente missed a great opportunity to take distance in the battle for European places, while AZ prevented the race from tilting further towards Enschede with one late swipe. What's next: Twente has to come to terms with the missed jump, AZ continues to hunt for European places. Read at NU.nl Sport
This draw is more important than gaining one point or losing two points. In a direct battle for position in the Eredivisie, FC Twente came within reach of third place, but let the moment slip away. AZ did not take the full advantage, but they did get something that can be almost as valuable in this phase: proof that it can still strike late and maintain the pressure on the European places. For Twente, the aftertaste revolves around control that disappeared in injury time.
NU.nl Sportnu.nlMay 3, 4:41 PMnl-nl
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