Goalkeeper Jari de Busser proved the hero before a capacity crowd at the Feyenoord Stadium with a series of key saves in the match. He then stopped two efforts in the shootout, before Julius Dirksen converted the winning kick Success for the club from Deventer came 60 years after their only previous cup final appearance in 1965 and wins them a place in the group phase of next season's Europa League Ireland international Troy Parrott converted a re-taken penalty to give AZ Alkmaar a 54th-minute lead The former Tottenham Hotspur player's initial effort was saved by De Busser but the goalkeeper was adjudged to have moved off his line too early handing Parrott another opportunity which he converted Go Ahead were awarded a controversial penalty six minutes into stoppage time to equalise after a handball by AZ's Peer Koopmeiners who was having his shirt tugged in his own penalty area The kick was awarded despite Koopmeiners' bemused protests and Go Ahead skipper Mats Deijl converted to take the game to extra time five AZ supporters were injured in an accident between two buses bringing fans to the stadium in Rotterdam while the kickoff of the second half was delayed as the referee waited for smoke from fireworks that had been set off by supporters to clear Go Ahead Eagles won their first-ever Dutch KNVB Cup on Sunday, coming from behind to score a last-gasp equaliser before going on to win 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw with AZ Alkmaar Goalkeeper Jari de Busser proved the hero before a capacity crowd at the Feyenoord Stadium with a series of key saves in the match. He then stopped two efforts in the shootout, before Julius Dirksen converted the winning kick Ireland international Troy Parrott converted a re-taken penalty to give AZ Alkmaar a 54th-minute lead The former Tottenham Hotspur player's initial effort was saved by De Busser Go Ahead were awarded a controversial penalty six minutes into stoppage time to equalise after a handball by AZ's Peer Koopmeiners The kick was awarded despite Koopmeiners' bemused protests and Go Ahead skipper Mats Deijl converted to take the game to extra time Spurs could find in the Europa League an avenue to save what's been a difficult season defined by an injury crisis that's plagued them for most of it Although the injuries offer a valid excuse it's still been a disappointing campaign for the north London outfit Sitting a lowly 13th in the Premier League standings, Tottenham's only realistic avenue for European soccer next season is winning the Europa League Ange Postecoglou famously said he always wins trophies in his second season in charge and the second tier European competition is the only path towards making that statement true Dejan Kulusevski is the latest name added to a laundry list of injuries that include Cristian Romero Postecoglou still has enough quality to field a strong side in Alkmaar Here's how Tottenham could lineup vs GK: Guglielmo Vicario—Back to full fitness RB: Pedro Porro—The former Sporting Lisbon man has been inconsistent this season with numerous examples of him being out of position defensively CB: Archie Gray—The 18-year-old will start at center back with regular starters still on the mend CB: Kevin Danso—The January signing will partner Gray in the makeshift center back pairing LB: Destiny Udogie—Udogie will make his third consecutive start after returning from injury CM: Rodrigo Bentancour—The Uruguay international will serve as the midfield anchor CM: Lucas Bervgall—The teenager has seen his minutes increase and will get the nod in a crucial European match RW: Brennan Johnson—The Welshman scored three goals during the Europa League league phase AM: James Maddison—Maddison will operate as the most advanced midfielder and most of the chance creation burden will fall on his shoulders LW: Son Heung-Min—Tottenham's captain will want to be influential as he continues the pursuit his first trophy with the club ST: Mathys Tel—Tel has one goal in five appearances since joining Spurs in January ROBERTO CASILLASRoberto Casillas is a Sports Illustrated Soccer freelance writer covering Liga MX, the Mexican National Team & Latin American players in Europe. He is a die hard Cruz Azul and Chelsea fan. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit If you or someone you know has a gambling problem crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER Manchester United have been drawn against Real Sociedad in the Europa League round of 16 while Tottenham Hotspur will meet AZ Alkmaar Rangers will take on Fenerbahce in their last-16 tie The top eight teams from the competition’s new-look league phase qualified automatically for the round of 16 and are now joined by the eight teams who progressed through the play-off round The first legs of the ties will be played on March 6 with the second legs on March 13 United finished third in the league phase after five wins and three draws from their eight matches Real Sociedad advanced to the last 16 after beating Danish side Midtjylland 7-3 on aggregate over the two playoff legs Should they progress they will play FCSB or Lyon in the last eight and Fenerbahce Tottenham also won five of their league phase games to finish fourth AZ Alkmaar booked their place in the last 16 after knocking out Galatasaray 6-3 on aggregate Spurs’ route to the final could include Ajax or Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarter-finals and Bodo/Glimt Rangers were the lowest of the eight automatic qualifiers after beating Union Saint-Gilloise on matchday eight Fenerbahce progressed past Anderlecht in their play-off tie Philippe Clement’s side would meet Roma or Athletic Club in the quarter-finals and FCSB Real Sociedad or Manchester United in the semi-finals if they make it through The quarter-finals will take place over April 10 and April 17 while the semi-final first and second legs are scheduled for May 1 and May 8 respectively The final will be played at Athletic Club’s Estadio San Mames in Bilbao on May 21 Looking ahead of your next opponent is never advisable but Tottenham fans should be pretty pleased with AZ — and Should Spurs progress past AZ — who they beat 1-0 in the league phase in October — it’s Ajax or Frankfurt Ajax are currently leading the Eredivisie but made tough work of Union Saint-Gilloise in the knockout play-offs Frankfurt have been weakened by their January sale of Omar Marmoush to Manchester City Given their upcoming opponents and side of the draw Spurs should be considered a strong favourite to win the Europa League Manchester United went into this season as one of the favourites for the competition but another crisis period has lessened confidence Season ticket holders might have preferred the “easier” match-up against AZ but the opportunity to watch football in the beautiful San Sebastian should never be sniffed at If Ruben Amorim’s men best the Spanish side and there’s a spicy selection of semi-final opponents including against Athletic Bilbao… just in case United fans want to get re-acquainted with the San Mames Stadium La Liga watchers want you to know that you can’t just call them “Sociedad” “La Real” or “Reala” if you really want to show off.) (Top photo: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images) Tottenham Hotspur’s Europa League match against AZ Alkmaar was a real opportunity to make a statement now that Spurs have a rested and (mostly) healthy squad Tottenham played one of their worst matches of the season conceding a first half own goal from Lucas Bergvall and could only muster one shot on target despite 61% possession and fell to AZ by the final score of 1-0 Tottenham welcomed three injured players back to the matchday squad and Dominic Solanke all started the match on the bench with Ange Postecoglou preferring Mathys Tel up top alongside Brennan Johnson and Son Heung-Min but here are some basic notes from my viewing of the match Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Lucas Bergvall scored Spurs' first own goal in Europe since Harry Kane against Gent in February 2017 Lucas Bergvall's own goal led to a flat Tottenham losing the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie at AZ Alkmaar Ange Postecoglou's side only had one late shot on target - and only two inside AZ's box all night The difference ended up inadvertently being teenager Bergvall who shinned an attempted clearance from Troy Parrott's cross into his own net Spurs needed goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario to come up with three big saves to keep them firmly in the tie - including to deny former Spurs striker Parrott But Tottenham will have to do without midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur in next Thursday's home leg after his third booking of the season The visitors created little of note in a muted display Substitute Wilson Odobert's cross-shot was parried away by AZ keeper Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro and he headed over the bar right at the end striker Dominic Solanke - making his return after seven weeks out with a knee injury - had to be replaced 20 minutes after coming on and hobbled off the pitch One of the soundbites of Spurs' campaign has been Postecoglou's quote in September that he always wins a trophy in his second season with a team - a claim that is mostly accurate But Spurs will have to improve - starting with actually creating some good chances - next week if he is to have a chance of continuing that run The Europa League is Spurs' last chance of silverware this season Fail to win the second leg and they will probably not even be in Europe next season given they are currently 13th in the Premier League were deserved victors and could have won by more with three each for Republic of Ireland striker Parrott and substitute Denso Kasius The hosts' biggest chance to score a goal themselves came when Parrott was sent through on goal but denied by the foot of Vicario Bergvall was unfortunate to score the own goal when Parrott volleyed a ball across and the Tottenham midfielder badly sliced his clearance which Djed Spence was unable to head off the line Spurs' chances were few and far between Bergvall flashed a near-post header wide from a James Maddison corner Son Heung-min had a shot blocked and Brennan Johnson Son and Bergvall all missed the target from about 20 yards out and should probably have done better when he headed over in the 95th minute After the opportunity to rate players has closed the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users To load Comments you need to enable JavaScript in your browser The BBC is not responsible for any changes that may be made van Duijn at 81 minutesSubstituteshome team Tottenham HotspurManager: Ange Postecoglou van Duijn at 81 minutesSubstitutesNumber 14 substituted for Pedro Porro at 72 minutesNumber 4 van de Ven Match OfficialsReferee: Rade ObrenovicVideo Assistant Referee: Alen BorosakAssistant Referee 1: Jure PraprotnikAssistant Referee 2: Andraž KovacicFourth Official: David SmajcAssistant VAR Official: Carlos del Cerro GrandeMatch StatsKey Scroll LeftScroll RightThis is the second European meeting between AZ and Tottenham Hotspur with Spurs winning the first game 1-0 on MD3 of this season’s UEFA Europa League group stage Spurs have won seven of their last 11 major European matches against Dutch sides (D2 L2) with this their first knockout meeting since beating Ajax 3-2 in May 2019 in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final to reach the final AZ have scored 19 UEFA Europa League goals this season They haven’t scored 20+ goals in a major European season since 2006-07 (26) Spurs have won three of their last 18 away legs in major European ties (D5 L10) losing their last two without scoring since a 4-1 win at RZ Pellets WAC in February 2021 Son Heung-Min has scored seven major European knockout goals for Tottenham Hotspur – this century the only player with more is Dimitar Berbatov (12) Wilson Odobert (Tottenham Hotspur) header from the centre of the box is too high Sem van Duijn (AZ) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur) wins a free kick in the attacking half Dane Scarlett replaces Dominic Solanke because of an injury Fourth official has announced 3 minutes of added time Delay in match because of an injury Dominic Solanke (Tottenham Hotspur) Foul by Dominic Solanke (Tottenham Hotspur) Wouter Goes (AZ) wins a free kick in the defensive half Wilson Odobert (Tottenham Hotspur) right footed shot from a difficult angle and long range on the right is saved in the top right corner Seiya Maikuma (AZ) wins a free kick in the defensive half Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur) wins a free kick in the defensive half Ange Postecoglou’s time in North London may very well come down to Thursday There is no other way to put it: Tottenham Hotspur must find a way to advance The Europa League has been the priority for some time now but Ange Postecoglou is at risk of failing in all four competitions this season — which might signal the end of his tenure There is no excuse for anything less than a victory over AZ Alkmaar at home this Thursday and to progress to the quarterfinals Tottenham enters the second leg in North London as favorites with one of its healthiest squads in recent memory and last week’s disappointing performance in the Netherlands offers little cause for optimism the challenges ahead will only get tougher But it feels like they — and Postecoglou — need something 8:00 pm UKLocation: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium Tottenham is fortunate to only be trailing by a single goal heading into the second leg AZ did not generate much offense (just three shots on target but they took advantage of an unfortunate own goal from Lucas Bergvall the home side always looked more likely to score and earned the result it deserved Postecoglou must find a way to create more attacking opportunities One shot on target in an entire match is a glaring red flag As troubling is the failure to dominate midfield and apply pressure on AZ’s defense While Tottenham has been without a fully-fit No there are still numerous capable players who can carry the ball into the box and make incisive passes AZ came into last week’s match having conceded nine goals in their previous three Europa League outings; this is a defense that can be breached Though the League Phase tie featured a heavily rotated side that now makes two contests against this opponent without much to show on the scoreboard Even though the defense has mostly held up it is hard to ignore performances against teams like Leicester and Ipswich where goals have also been hard to come by Spurs clearly have an issue scoring against the teams they really should be handling without much difficulty which is a tough thing to still be saying in March Tottenham will be without Dejan Kulusevski Heung-Min Son’s form has been inconsistent he showed flashes of his former self — enough to suggest he could make a difference this week And while Bergvall’s own goal was unfortunate his attacking drive is something few other Spurs players have shown consistently this season Thanks for everyone who has stuck with us the past seven months and surely you all are sick of hearing the same thing over and over again as well Spurs have the individual talent and team capability to turn this into a comfortable win but clearly translating that potential into actual performance has been a struggle Tottenham needs to overturn a one-goal deficit against a clearly inferior opponent to keep its hopes alive but the pressure could not be higher on Postecoglou Succumb to another Dinamo Zagreb-like catastrophe and this might be the end of the road but a potentially difficult half of the bracket The draw for the Europa League Round of 16 through the finals just completed this morning. Tottenham Hotspur are now favorites to win the competition but while they know their immediate upcoming opponent it looks as though they could face a tricky path to the final Spurs drew former academy striker Troy Parrott and Eredivisie side AZ Alkmaar in the upcoming Round of 16, a home and home series that will take place on March 6 and March 13. That’s probably the more favorable draw for Spurs compared to Real Sociedad, who will face Manchester United on the opposite side of the bracket Spurs were drawn into the more difficult side of the bracket and potentially will have to beat both Eintracht Frankfurt and Lazio two of the best teams from the group stage the other side of the bracket has its share of good sides including Lyon (and Tanguy Ndombele) and Athletic Club who could play for a Europa League trophy in their home stadium It was undeniable that Tottenham would have to play against some very good teams if it wants to win this competition and now they know the scope of the challenge The first trick will be to do what it did back in October: shut down Parrott and get past AZ Good news, everyone! Tottenham Hotspur have brought their first team central defense pairing and their first choice striker to the Netherlands for tomorrow’s Europa League match vs According to Ange Postecoglu in his pre-match press conference (still going on at the time of this article publishing) and Dominic Solanke have all made the plane and will assumedly be available for selection for the match all of whom have remained in London to train and continue their rehabilitation He got a knock on the foot and he’s not sure when really He’s been able to train and play over the last few weeks We’ve done some further investigations and no real clarity Unlikely to be back before the international break but nothing serious and no surgery or anything Ben Davies is also back [home] at the training ground with Richarlison.” but keep in mind that this is just a guess from Postecoglou (and he’s been known to lie about injuries in press conferences too) For Thursday I’d be surprised if any of Romero We really don’t know where they are in their rehabilitation and so all of this is guesswork but if they are slowly worked into the lineup it wouldn’t surprise me if one of them plays tomorrow in some capacity and the other against Bournemouth if only so Spurs don’t have to make two CB substitutions in one match and Archie Gray for three games seems pretty doable even if it likely means Cuti and Mickey don’t initially start together It’s about freshness and match minutes in the legs at this point Spurs should be able to put together a pretty strong lineup tomorrow in the Netherlands and have the horses on the bench to make impact subs as well the chance for a trophy remains very much alive Ange Postecoglou showed his cards a bit with a rotated lineup against Manchester City, despite no match over the weekend for Tottenham Hotspur The manager knows that this season — and potentially his future — rests on the Europa League where Spurs remain the betting favorites to lift the trophy and it only takes one bad night for everything to fall apart Tottenham absolutely cannot let that happen against AZ Alkmaar in the Round of 16 but they will head into Thursday’s first leg taking nothing for granted This is a rematch of a 1-0 League Phase encounter back in October but the stakes are much higher this time around The visitors do not need to wrap up the tie in one leg though heading back to North London with a solid advantage would certainly be welcome AZ Alkmaar finished the League Phase in 19th place That advancement led to an upset of Galatasaray in the Knockout Playoff which spared Tottenham from seeing more of Victor Osimhen; the first leg in the Netherlands saw Galatasaray go down to 10 men This was enough to boost them into the Round of 16 and set the stage for another opportunity to play spoiler It would be surprising if more than three starters remained the same from when these two teams met in North London and Richarlison all rotated in as Postecoglou had limited options at the time Though the performance was not the prettiest and an xG spread of 1.9 to 0.4 highlighted the gap between Spurs and their opponents Thursday could see the return of the two starting center backs and two key strikers though some of them might only feature in the second leg Spurs have received reinforcements across nearly every other position and the names on this week’s team sheet should be more than enough to get the desired result these returnees would not even be needed for the home leg but they are expected to be available then if they are not ready this week The script here is no different than any other Europa League knockout tie AZ has recently shown an uptick in scoring but they looked relatively harmless in North London and are only seventh in goals scored in the Eredivisie this team is obviously capable of putting the ball in the net — six different players scored against Galatasaray including Troy Parrott (!!) — so Spurs will need to put in a solid defensive performance there are enough quality pieces at the back to inspire some confidence Tottenham’s attack only needs a few clinical moments to take control Even without the potential involvement of Dominic Solanke or Richarlison there are several viable attacking options It was great to see Wilson Odobert back in action and Mathys Tel has been highly motivated to make an impact could use the next two weeks to prove their worth and secure valuable minutes down the stretch With a potential matchup against Ajax or Eintracht Frankfurt on the horizon it can be tempting to look ahead with three rounds remaining Galatasaray saw firsthand what happens when an underdog blitzes at home Postecoglou has recognized the weight of this competition and is playing his chips strategically excellence is a requirement for everyone involved from here on out The final matches of the Europa League’s “Swiss Model” playoff stage are still finishing up, but unless a miracle happens, Tottenham Hotspur know they’ll be playing one of two opponents in the Round of 16 AZ Alkmaar surprisingly dispatched Galatasaray drawing 2-2 today but progressing past the Turkish League leaders 6-3 on aggregate Real Sociedad is currently leading ten-man FC Midtjylland 4-2 and have a virtually unassailable 6-3 aggregate lead This means that when the Round of 16 draw takes place, Spurs will face either AZ Alkmaar or La Real. Spurs and Manchester United will be on the other side of the bracket (so Spurs won’t play them until at minimum the semifinals); they will also play either Midtjylland or Sociedad The draw takes place tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m., so Americans will wake up to the news of who Spurs will play as they continue their quest for a Europa League title and the most improbable qualification for the Champions League ever The first leg of the Round of 16 will take place on March 6 By virtue of finishing in the top eight of the table Spurs will play the first leg away and the second leg at home Galatasaray’s loss means Spurs escape the possibility of playing one of the scarier clubs in the competition and one that has beaten them in Istanbul already this season has Napoli striker Victor Osimhen there on loan and at the time of this writing 10-man Ajax are currently in an extra time dogfight with Union Saint-Gilloise Tottenham are now the favorites to win the entire competition Tottenham Hotspur took the difficult path (as they often do) but Ange Postecoglou’s side did just enough to overturn their first-leg deficit with a 3-1 victory (3-2 on aggregate) over AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League round of 16 on Thursday MORE – Latest Champions League scores, knockout stage bracket Wilson Odobert was scored twice on the night first to pull Spurs level in the 26th minute and then to put them (back) ahead (for good) in the 74th — both assisted by Dominic Solanke James Maddison got on the scoresheet as well just after halftime and everything appeared to be going so well — too well Odobert and Lucas Bergvall were caught between two minds in the 63rd minute as the Frenchman raced back to recover the ball and seemingly snuff out any danger of an AZ Alkmaar counter-attack only both players seemed to assume the other would pick up the ball and play it forward — and neither did Bergvall played it back to an unsuspecting Odobert and the ball fell to Peer Koopmeiners and he made no mistake with a powerful striker from the edge of the box Throughout the game there were glimpses of the high-intensity attacking football that Postecoglou’s teams are known to play but there were still too many moments of uncertainty and hesitancy when decisive action was required Solanke and Cristian Romero played all 90 minutes after returning from injury in recent weeks and Micky van de Ven got 60 minutes under his belt before coming off in a pre-planned substitution Spurs’ defensive mix-up occurred on the left side of defense less than three minutes after his departure Up next is a clash with Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt who reached the quarterfinals with a resounding 4-1 victory (6-2 on aggregate) over Ajax FotMob.com Wilson Odobert puts the final touch on the well-worked Spurs attack ✨ pic.twitter.com/vvb8CIJNXH AZ Alkmaar's Peer Koopmeiners makes THE MOST of a gift at the back from Spurs to level the tie on agg. 🎁🔥 pic.twitter.com/pJkn93T28P Heung-min Son 🤝 James MaddisonA perfect assist, a clinical finish as Spurs take the lead 💥 pic.twitter.com/VJN3Uboxb6 Spurs’ high press pays off as Dominic Solanke finds Wilson Odobert who drills it into the back of the net! 💪 pic.twitter.com/e5B5W9myXn Kick off time: 4pm ET Thursday (March 13)Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium — LondonTV/Streaming: Paramount+ Spurs were not only beaten 1-0 in last week’s away leg but they were (un)comfortably second-best on the night and lucky to escape with just a one-goal deficit It was an alarming performance from a side that desperately needs to impress in a competition that they are widely expected to contest As their season spiraled out of control due to a months-long injury crisis Ange Postecoglou always had the cup competitions to point to as a reason for optimism they went out of the League Cup in the semifinals and the FA Cup just days later Spurs sit 13th in the Premier League table (eight points off the top half) and on the brink of going out of the Europa League in their first round of the knockouts If you’re searching for a hopeful Spurs angle look no further than the recent returns of Micky van de Ven all of whom should reasonably be expected to start the second leg after playing 30 in a 2-2 draw with Bournemouth over the weekend The center backs are undeniably most important for Postecoglou’s side as they provide not only the best cover at the back but a greater ability to play the ball out of the back in possession Spurs had a nightmare of a time against AZ Almkaar’s press in the first leg and found passing the ball into the final third Mayckel Lahdo (foot) | QUESTIONABLE: Ruben van Bommel (leg) It won’t be clean and it won’t be straightforward (anything but but over the course of 90 minutes (maybe 120) Spurs’ quality of depth will do just enough to see them through Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 AZ Alkmaar (3-2 on aggregate) A Division of NBCUniversal DISCLAIMER: This site and the products offered are for entertainment purposes only and there is no gambling offered on this site This service is intended for adult audiences No guarantees are made for any specific outcome Tottenham Hotspur's season, and the long-term future of manager Ange Postecoglou, could well centre around Thursday's UEFA Europa League match with AZ Alkmaar Spurs are trailing 1-0 following the first leg of the Round of 16 tie last week and therefore must win if they are to avoid exiting the competition before the quarterfinal stage the chance to qualify for European football in 2025/26 — and keep up Postecoglou's pledge to deliver silverware in his second full season in charge — rests on their Europa League campaign Failure to progress against the team currently sixth in the Eredivisie would lead to serious questions over the manager's position The Sporting News looks at the latest team news for this critical game WATCH: UEFA Champions League with a FREE trial of Paramount+ in USA | A new era of UEFA Champions League in Australia, only on Stan Sport with Rodrigo Bentancur suspended after receiving a third yellow card of the tournament in the first leg Kevin Danso is also out with a hamstring injury but with Ben Davies available again after four games out and both Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero back to match fitness The latter two both start at centre-back today Lucas Bergvall and James Maddison join Pape Matar Sarr in midfield while Wilson Odobert gets another start in attack Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski are still sidelined Radu Dragusin and Timo Werner are all ineligible Richarlison (lower leg)Suspended: Bentancur (yellow-card accumulation)Ineligible: Forster MORE: How Man United's £2 billion new stadium will break a forgotten Man City record AZ are without Mayckel Lahdo and Denso Kasius who both suffered injuries in the first leg Jayden Addai and Ruben van Bommel are also sidelined the 21-year-old striker who scored a hat-trick for the reserves at the weekend also misses the trip to London as his girlfriend is reportedly due to give birth soon Striker Mexx Meerdink has travelled with the squad after a month out with injury right to left): Owuso-Oduro (GK) — Maikuma Here's how to watch this Europa League match across selected areas of the world's major regions: If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Learn more > Joe Wright is a Senior Editor at Sporting News He was previously a sub editor and writer for Goal.com before spending six years as part of the Stats Perform editorial news service covering major global sports including football Joe has extensive experience covering some of the biggest events in football including two UEFA Champions League finals the Confederations Cup 2017 and the 2018 World Cup Following the album release of ‘All The Right Weaknesses’ on April 5th Brown Horse took to Holland for three shows before a planned return to the UK for a series of dates supporting the album release This seemed a perfect opportunity to see what awaited the UK audiences and to report back before the tour starts proper on the 23rd of April in Bristol Their first night in Holland was part of a brilliantly run festival called ‘The Blue Heart‘ which took place in a pair of dedicated auditoriums in Alkmaar There were several artists on the bill including a rare sighting of Mark Olson an acoustic set from Sam Outlaw (before the Horse came on) and some local artists notably the jazz-inflected Americana of Minko and the Floydian The Great East The festival times meant that each act cut into each other by about 15 minutes between a smaller room and a The audience was very much up for their country music and Outlaw filled the larger room for an hour with several punters sporting dungarees and big hats I was slightly nervous that Norfolk’s finest would have to work hard to win this crowd over particularly the seated back row of BBQ-eating OAPS who appeared keener on chat than on the music Sam Outlaw played from 5.30 pm ’til 6.30 pm and after a brief sound check Opening with ‘Verna Bloom‘ the band unrolled their ramshackle charm opening with a ‘new’ song from a ‘new’ album a song filled with both time and mood changes but it is a measure of Brown Horse’s self-assurance and confidence in their material that it paid off immediately as the crowd moved towards the vast stage Patrick Turner’s burred vocals and temporary bass and acoustic player Natacha Simoes’s counterpoint harmonies coaxed “Press your face up to the screen and you can feel the static” As the locals engaged and without pausing between songs the Horse leapt into ‘Dog Rose’ and its beguiling swing By now the sound technician had really perfected the mix not an easy task with six on stage and such an original blend of instruments and vocals And the song really began to sway as the band also relaxed into its elastic groove As a frontman Turner held the room without conversation as the lap steel and guitar began to make their presence felt ‘All the Right Weaknesses’ followed and with it the belief that the whole set was going to be new material Emma Tovell’s and Nyle Holihan’s electric strings intertwining to glorious effect Next up is another new song and this one isn’t even on the new album ‘Comeback Loading’ features a brooding intro that explodes into life thanks to the Ralph Molina-like drums of their new drummer Ben Rodwell and it must be said that his addition has added extra muscularity to their live sound And then it was time to throw some shapes as ‘Corduroy Couch‘ followed in smart order with the band really enjoying the way things were unfolding appeared to be particularly lost in the moment as the audience began to sway Turner introduced ‘Radio Free Bolinas‘ which launched from the epic drums and bass into a screaming pedal steel and accordion cacophony and the moment of silence following the lines “When it started to snow” or ” A moment pickled in sugar again and again” was completely sublime The audience was completely theirs and the band cantered for home with the stately and deeply moving ‘Stealing Horses‘ with its heartbreaking guitar figure dripping emotion recalling Jason Molina at his desperate best and finally ‘Shootback‘ with its Faces’ keyboards connecting the new with the old An hour of blissful live music with a bunch of musicians making fabulous music plus the mention of two unrelated Molinas in one article If you haven’t got tickets for their upcoming gigs Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. but I felt a bit disappointed in Brown Horse’s set I had high hopes as I think their 2 albums are great (and I bought the new album directly from the band after their set) but I thought the band’s performance in Alkmaar was a little flat and perfunctory Your review left out the local (Dutch) Americana UK favorite VanWyck Daisy & Lewis were also a highlight with their joyous If you enjoy what you're reading and don't want to support us on a monthly basis you can help us keep this site free from looking like one of those awful REACH sites by making a one off donation towards our running costs Be daring, be yourself, be willing to take risks and stand alone. Vanessa Collier’s music is gritty, raw, and at times, either downright sad or bubbling happy. As with most songwriters worth their salt, her songs […] “All of a sudden, time stood still, and we watched our plans and expectations float away like lost balloons.” For Angela Easterling, life began in South Carolina and, except for college years in Boston, has been […] Past, present and future are inseparable in her songs. There is an openness to Maya de Vitry that is refreshing to come by. Formerly in the Stray Birds, a bluegrass band, the Lancaster, Pennsylvania-born musician is […] As always in these prescriptive articles there must be a drawing of boundaries and Clint’s first article in the series seemed to have dealt with the idea that you should define americana in a narrow sense […] Steve Earle announced his arrival in our lives with his debut album in 1986. Since then, he has racked up almost thirty studio and live albums under his own name or in collaboration with others. 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I immediately checked the web for confirmation but there was […] Tottenham Hotspur suffered a demoralising 1-0 defeat to AZ Alkmaar in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League Round of 16 tie An unfortunate own goal from Lucas Bergvall proved to be the difference in the Netherlands as Ange Postecoglou's side looked laboured in attack managing just one shot on target in the game Spurs' domestic campaign is effectively over following earlier cup exits and the fact they sit 13th in the Premier League standings but this competition offers manager Ange Postecoglou a final chance to make good on his vow of delivering silverware in his second full season in charge Yet this was a result and performance that has put those hopes in jeopardy ahead of the return leg in north London next week After coming on as a 2nd half substitute, Dominic Solanke limps off after a clash with the AZ goalkeeper 🤕ANOTHER injury problem for Ange Postecoglou...🥴 pic.twitter.com/wlp99HJnRt Bergvall sliced a cross up and over goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario in a slapstick moment inside the Spurs box with only 18 minutes played and they were indebted to their Italian goalkeeper for denying their former striker Troy Parrott in a one-on-one in the first half Vicario was the busier of the goalkeepers throughout despite Spurs having 60 per cent of the possession with Rome-Jaden Owusu-Oduro not called into action until late in the second half when he parried from Wilson Odobert who also headed over from inside the box in the closing seconds Spurs' defeat was compounded by an injury suffered by striker Dominic Solanke who came off the bench in the second half for his first appearance since mid-January Midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur will definitely miss the second leg after he received a third booking in the competition this season He slices an attempted clearance up and over his own head and it loops into the back of the Spurs net Watch in USA | UK | Canada | Australia AZ are led in midfield by experienced Netherlands international Jordy Clasie and Peer Koopmeiners including young winger Ruben van Bommel who was having a breakout season before suffering an injury in mid-January They are also without 21-year-old striker Mexx Meerdink and 19-year-old Jayden Addai right to left): Owusu-Oduro (GK) — Maikuma Tottenham had seen their injury list start to lessen as the second half of the season rolled along, but then Dejan Kulusevski suffered a foot problem that has felled him until April Cristian Romero is ready for a return after taking part in training since suffering a hamstring injury back in December Micky van de Ven and Dominic Solanke are also subs although Richarlison and Ben Davies are out Radu Dragusin remains out for the season with an ACL tear The meeting during this season's league phase back in November was the first between these sides Spurs claimed a 1-0 win thanks to Richarlison's goal As Arne Slot closes in on the second league title of his career he may reflect ruefully on how it could easily have been his third It is five years to the day that AZ’s season was effectively ended by Covid-19 after Slot’s in-form team had beaten ADO Den Haag to draw level on points with Ajax Slot having instilled such fearlessness and aggression in their football that their belief was growing with every passing week What made this fairytale even more incredible was that Slot was outsmarting his rivals with a team largely made up of academy graduates “We all sensed that it might be possible,” AZ’s then assistant manager But with just two months of the season remaining they were told for the first time not to shake their opponents’ hands as fears of spreading the virus grew the Eredivisie became the first major football European league to cancel its season in response to the crisis there would be no Dutch champions and for those connected to AZ it left an “open wound” that has still not healed Arne Slot: The borderland 'priest' who was born to coach AZ are not supposed to win the Dutch title they have always been in the shadow of the Netherlands’ ‘big three’ — Ajax are the only club outside of that trio to win a Dutch title in the past 60 years the first in 1981 and the second in 2008-09 The head coach placed pragmatism before idealism and turned his side into a deadly counter-attacking team fuelled by the goals of Mounir El Hamdaoui and the craft of a young Mousa Dembele and Maarten Martens apart from that season like no other under Slot in 2019-20 It is why the feeling of ‘what could have been’ still haunts so many people connected to the club even if there is an acceptance that there were bigger issues at stake amid the pandemic “That season hurt so many people,” says AZ supporter Brian Wijker who was a long-term season ticket holder with his father before becoming a writer and podcaster covering the club “It’s something we think about every day because we do not get the opportunity to go for a title every year It’s an open wound which will not heal until we win a trophy.” Little was expected of AZ at the start of the season following the €18million (£16.2m $19.8m) departure of academy graduate and prized asset Guus Til to Spartak Moscow Supporters were also initially underwhelmed with the appointment of Slot who had been promoted from his assistant’s role following John van den Brom’s departure Addressing the players on his first day as head coach had studied Pep Guardiola’s methods in depth and built up years of research from his time as a player and a coach at Cambuur and was eager to put those principles into practice The Athletic visited ahead of the campaign and watched training before interviewing the experienced defender Ron Vlaar Retirement had crossed the 35-year-old’s mind because of problems with his knee but a sixth operation gave him a new lease of life by the notion of playing under a fresh new manager “I’m excited with the new manager,” Vlaar said at the time “He wants to play high press with a lot of energy and we train really hard.” was like a father figure to some of the youngsters who pulled the group together and acted as the conduit between Slot and the players “He put everyone in the right places,” recalls top goalscorer Myron Boadu An 18-year-old striker with blistering pace and energy to burn Slot already knew about his skills from his first year at the club and placed immediate faith in the teenager as he returned from seven months out with an ankle injury Boadu turned down an offer from Arsenal to stay at AZ and he would soon reap the rewards under Slot he came to my house with a No 9 jersey,” Boadu tells The Athletic “He talked with me and my parents and told me how much confidence he had in me there’s also a lot of responsibility that comes with it He asked me if I wanted it and of course I said ‘yes’ Boadu needed the right coaching to unleash his qualities and Slot was there to provide it “Sometimes we banged heads because he wanted me to do a lot more than just score goals,” he recalls “He told me that I had to start the press and help the team defend We would talk man to man and he’d tell me that I would feel disappointed at the end of my career if I didn’t give everything I’ll never forget the things he said to me.” Slot started to change the culture and the playing style at the club Those who listened to his first speech remember his clarity and conviction an observation which chimes with the impression he has made on players at Liverpool “Everybody had chills because of the way he came across when he addressed us all,” Boadu recalls we felt like this guy was going to be special and that this was the start of something.” no ranting and half-time videos: Inside Arne Slot's brain A 3-0 win at Feyenoord in September gave an early indication of AZ’s potential but it wasn’t until the end of October that the perception of Slot’s AZ began to change attacking style began catching opponents off guard and Slot mixed up his formations during games which confused even the top teams in the division Key players began to emerge as Slot typically opted for Marco Bizot in goal Vlaar (when he was fit) and Stijn Wuytens in defence Fredrik Midtsjo playing alongside Koopmeiners in the double pivot Oussama Idrissi on the left and Dani de Wit behind lone striker Boadu tucked inside to create passing lanes for the wingers and they soon started to suffocate opponents Key to their success was a training drill that Slot modified early on “Normally we would play ‘square’ at the beginning of training to get warmed up and have a bit of fun,” Midtsjo tells The Athletic “But when he (Slot) came in he stepped it up and demanded perfect passes to the correct foot We had to move constantly so we were always at the right angle for the man on the ball to allow him more passing options we got the feeling that he (Slot) would go far as a coach.” AZ’s crushing 4-0 win at PSV on October 27 alerted Ajax to their growing threat: it came amid a blistering run of form when Slot’s side scored 26 goals in eight games across all competitions Yet this team’s attacking flair was underpinned by grit Pantelis Hatzidiakos lost two front teeth in the win at PSV as he was elbowed in the face during a challenge gave the team a steely resistance and set the standard in training “I tried to make it clear to everyone how important it was to train in the same way as if it was a game,” he says it helped create the tension throughout the week and we were then able to take that into games.” That leadership was vital for a young squad Slot fielded half a dozen players under the age of 25 many of whom had progressed through the ranks together and shared a clear bond Koopmeiners was so developed at 21 that he became the captain Stengs and Boadu linked up like a pair of playful kids and Wijndal kept the team engaged with his jokes when a player slipped over in the dressing room Wijndal stayed late into the day to cordon off the section and create a fake “crime scene” that nobody could enter the following day To have four key players in the first team who had all graduated from the academy was quite the story “The cohesion on and off the pitch was magnificent,” says Jansen “The squad was 65 per cent homegrown and they all had one big ambition to be very successful with AZ before going onto the next step in their career.” As well as eating out and partying together away from football the younger players knew what it meant to win The beauty of their connection was that they could all speak openly about any issues and offer constructive criticism when necessary “That was a huge part of our approach — to have fun together,” says Jansen “We combined the love of what we do with moments of fun and relaxation but then a hunger to perform at your best They could take the p*** out of each other but also still perform and be there for each other.” What makes Slot angry - and why he tries to avoid it AZ had the chance to go level on points with Ajax when they entertained the leaders in a game that had extra significance the roof had collapsed at the club’s AFAS Stadium fortunately on a non-matchday so there were no injuries home games had to be played an hour away in The Hague at ADO Den Haag’s Kyocera Stadium The Ajax game was the first one back in Alkmaar and supporters were in for a treat as Boadu scored a last-minute winner to draw AZ level on points at the summit Slot expressed surprise after the game that Boadu had scored a header but that was a rare case of something not happening that he had predicted The greatest compliment multiple players have said about his management is his ability to explain the strengths of opponents and how his team can overcome them “His tactics were unbelievable,” says Boadu “Everything we talked about during the week would happen in the game.” Slot called on his coaching team to pull together reports on the opposition but his focus was to find solutions and lean into his own team’s strengths but going into the games our approach was 80 per cent based on what we were trying to achieve what we stand for and where we could show our strength and expose the weakness of the opponent,” says Jansen “Arne’s strength is to focus on the things you can control and that is only partially your opponent because based on the analysis and how the opponent plays we would always look for what is most common in their way of playing and take that into our game plan but most of it was about what we were going to do.” Despite losing games either side of the winter break with Boadu and Idrissi among the top five goalscorers in the division a club that had progressed to the Champions League semi-finals the year before had exited the Europa League to Getafe and dropped out of the Dutch Cup A top-of-the-table clash at the start of March gave AZ the chance to seize control of the title race Slot worked specifically on exposing Ajax’s high defensive line and constructed a game plan that was executed perfectly as goals from Boadu and Idrissi gave AZ a 2-0 win in Amsterdam “The coach told us that they would take risks by playing the ball out from defence and that they would play man-for-man all over the field with high pressure,” Midtsjo says “Both of the goals we scored came from finding space in behind as he had planned for This was the moment we knew we were good enough to win the league.” Slot had now beaten each of the Dutch ‘Big Three’ away from home and was building a reputation as one of the brightest young coaches in Europe “It felt like it could be our time,” says Brian they entertained Den Haag with Covid-19 cases increasing in the Netherlands “We read in the press that there might be a chance that football would be cancelled but the coach told us that it would cost too much money “Then we were told not to shake hands at the end of the game with the opposition and after that it all went very quick There was a virus and it was scary but we also knew this might be a chance to do something special and we were about to lose this opportunity.” When the final decision was announced six weeks later particularly in the relation to the awarding of European places Not only had AZ missed out on the chance to win a title they were also denied automatic entry into the Champions League That went to Ajax as they finished top on goal difference although some players were aggrieved at the perception that AZ were more worthy winners “So the goal difference doesn’t count now?” Hakim Ziyech told Dutch outlet AD nothing will shake the belief that had the season just been extended by a few weeks “We were really sharp and getting better and we had beaten all the top teams so we felt we were onto something special,” Midtsjo says Perhaps the saddest part for AZ was what happened next Not only were they denied a shot at the title they were knocked out of the Champions League third-round qualifying stage the following season by Dynamo Kyiv “It never felt the same after Covid,” admits Boadu who scored 20 goals in 37 games in all competitions in 2019-20 Idrissi had left for Sevilla in a €12million deal in the summer of 2020 and Boadu followed to Monaco for €21m Atalanta then snapped up Koopmeiners for €12m and Yet the biggest blow came in December 2020 when Slot whose record of 2.11 points per game was the best record in AZ’s history was sacked for holding secret talks with Feyenoord Slot did get his hands on the Dutch title with the Rotterdam club Seeing Slot succeeding at Liverpool now comes as no surprise is missing out on what would have been a memory of a lifetime “We never know what would have happened had the season not ended like it did,” Brian says “But the thought of what could have been with a generational group of talent hurts us every day.” (Top photo: ANP Sport via Getty Images) Tottenham Hotspur have plenty of work to do in the second leg of the Europa League round of 16 after sleepwalking their way to a 1-0 defeat away to Dutch side AZ Alkmaar on Thursday MORE - UEFA Europa League schedule Lucas Bergvall scored the game’s only goal — a looping own goal off his shin — inside the opening 20 minutes and the deficit would have been even greater if not for a valiant display by Guglielmo Vicario in goal Alkmaar had whatever they wanted racing up and down the left flank each and every time they recovered the ball Spurs found it nearly impossible to play their way out of defense with Kevin Danso and Archie Gray at center back and the Alkmaar press relentlessly harrying their every move Star center backs Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero watched on from the bench back in the team for the first time in weeks and months unable to help the side that has missed them so dearly more often than not this season Despite bringing on Wilson Odobert at halftime and Dominic Solanke and Pedro Porro with 20 minutes left to play Spurs had just four shots in the second half (three from outside the box and one header nowhere near the goal) including zero from the 52nd to 88th minute which was a wayward cross at best and a misguided shot at worst was Spurs’ only effort on target all night who returned after nearly two months out injured was subbed out and barely able to walk off the field in stoppage time after taking a knee to the back In a season full of dismal displays that at least showed bravery and desperation this will go down as one of the very worst for everything riding on Ange Postecoglou’s side winning the (very winnable) Europa League FotMob.com It's a nightmare own goal for Lucas Bergvall who gifts AZ Alkmaar the lead 😳 pic.twitter.com/SquFnnrzmq who are constantly being beaten down the right side of their defense and can hardly work their way into Alkmaar’s defensive third thus far Kick off time: 12:45pm ET Thursday (March 6) TV/Streaming: Paramount+ Parrott has scored 12 goals in all competitions and is AZ’s leading goalscorer with the former Spurs striker really good at timing his runs into the box and delivering a calm finish Jordy Clasie is so experienced and keeps things ticking over very nicely in central midfield while Peer Koopmeiners is a rising star alongside Clasie Captain and center back Bruno Martins Indi is a key player in defense for AZ as they have a great balance of youth and experience Defensive injuries remain for Spurs but things have calmed down in recent weeks as they have been able to rotate and get close to their best starting lineup It will be intriguing to see how Ange lines up Spurs in midfield with Bergvall and Maddison perhaps starting on the bench with Sarr and Bentancur starting in a more defensive midfield Dejan Kulusevski looks set to be out with a foot injury but it isn’t believed to be a long-term issue OUT: Richarlison (lower leg), Micky van de Ven (fitness), Radu Dragusin (torn ACL - out for season), Dominic Solanke (knee - MORE) Cristian Romero (quad) | QUESTIONABLE: Ben Davies (undisclosed) This feels like it will be a nervous outing for Spurs as AZ are tough to play against and won’t be fazed by the occasion given recent runs to the latter stages of European competitions Spurs are the heavy favorites as they finished fourth in the League Phase table and despite all of their injury issues this competition has gone well for them this season Ange Postecoglou has said he always wins a trophy in his second season in charge of a club but this competition is his only remaining hope of keeping that record intact Spurs are the second favorites to win the Europa League and the likes of Son AZ are in the hunt for third place in the Eredivisie with head coach Maarten Martens doing well in his first season in charge as they beat Galatasaray in the knockout round Spurs academy product Troy Parrott is coming up against his boyhood club and has popped up with some big goals this season for AZ Wilson Odobert shines bright in thrilling win Tottenham Hotspur’s season was on the line entering the second leg of the Europa League Round of 16 fixture with AZ Alkmaar at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium Spurs’ chance of salvaging the season and Ange Postecouglou’s job revolved around winning an important fixture against AZ Alkmaar and the side did just that with a 3-1 victory and advanced on a 3-2 aggregate on Thursday Spurs looked awful against the high press that AZ brought forth in front of its home fans and escaped with a point at the weekend at home against Bournemouth; Spurs went with the firepower in hopes of securing a quarter-final spot Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven returned to the Starting XI — the first time since the Chelsea match that both saw the pitch together — Lucas Bergvall sitting in the hole as the No 6 and Wilson Odobert getting the nod over Brennan Johnson at right wing The first 25 minutes of the game saw Spurs recover in big moments The center-back partnership took chances on big tackles but also pushed the ball forward to get the team in the attacking half of the pitch Hunting for the goal to level on aggregate a lapse in defense from AZ allowed Spurs to jump on the moment With a poor back pass in defense around the box Son Heung-min won a deflection off the clearance attempt that allowed Dominic Solanke to collect the loose ball in the AZ box and into an open box Getting the ball out from underneath him — with many anticipating the striker to take a shot on goal — Solanke laid off a perfect ball for Wilson Odobert at the penalty spot to have the Frenchman blast a weak foot goal for his first goal as a Spurs player Spurs’ high press pays off as Dominic Solanke finds Wilson Odobert who drills it into the back of the net! pic.twitter.com/e5B5W9myXn Spurs looked for that insurance goal before the half as Sonny had multiple chances that were blocked as his patented cut through the box on his right foot was narrowly off from giving Spurs a 2-0 lead into the half James Maddison had a chance in the last seconds of the half but his free-kick was headed away by the wall and his volley take on the ensuing corner was stopped in the box Pedro Porro’s pressure on Mees De Wit — who had just come in for the second half — saw Odobert collect the ball in transition and lead the break Finding Maddison in the middle and the vice-captain hitting Sonny on the wing Sonny cut back onto his right foot with two AZ defenders dropping deep in the box for a deflection chance Seeing it and how wide open Maddison was in the middle of the box and Maddison collected his first touch and slotted a right-foot shot into the far corner for a 2-0 lead AZ leveled the aggregate scoreline minutes after van de Ven was subbed off in the 60th minute A poor passing decision from Bergvall gave Peer Koopmeiners the loose ball and a hammering strike to the far post Feeling gutted that Spurs could choke this game away the team put the exclamation mark on a tremendous counterattack with Odobert collecting his brace Leading yet again and needing 20 minutes to hold on for a quarter-final date with Frankfurt Spurs endured chances from AZ as one moment seemed to be destined for the back of the net Ex-Academy product Troy Parrott was through on goal and had his shot parried away from Gugilemo Vicario and with Vicario sprawling up and ready in position Yves Bissouma took no chances as his clearance near the line was sent away for an AZ corner Spurs held on for a 3-2 aggregate victory and reached the quarter-finals of the Europe League for just the second time (eight fully with the UEFA Cup appearances) Frankfurt in the quarters pic.twitter.com/a1aDBg24y4 is an opportunity for Spurs to put together a good run of fixtures with the momentum of moving on in Europe can position the side to feel good about themselves Spurs return to Premier League play as they make the short trip to west London to play at Craven Cottage against Fulham Spurs' season effectively hinged on whether they could overturn a 1-0 deficit against AZ Alkmaar in the third meeting between the sides in this year's competition They managed it thanks to two goals by Wilson Odobert the French youngster's first for the club since joining in August AZ were gifted a way back in to the tie in the 63rd minute when Peer Koopmeiners took advantage of a defensive error to fire a shot past Guglielmo Vicario But Odobert struck again in the 74th minute to ease the home jitters finishing off a flowing Tottenham attack down the left from close range Tottenham Hotspur advanced to the Europa League quarterfinals 3-2 on aggregate after beating AZ Alkmaar 3-1 in London on Thursday in the second leg of the round-of-16 matchup They managed it thanks to two goals by Wilson Odobert AZ were gifted a way back in to the tie in the 63rd minute when Peer Koopmeiners took advantage of a defensive error to fire a shot past Guglielmo Vicario European football has returned! After a well-deserved week off, Tottenham Hotspur head back to the Netherlands to face a familiar foe: AZ Alkmaar home of Troy Parrott (and previously Mousa Dembele) a side Spurs took on in the Europa League group stage That match was a hard-fought victory for Spurs It was a heavily rotated side that took the points that day; this time out expect Ange Postecoglou to name a much stronger lineup and Cristian Romero (there’s an international break soon Ange will potentially have a few more resources at his disposal than in recent weeks With Spurs out of the running for all other trophies this is really the sole opportunity for this side to make its mark as well These aren’t throwaway matches for rotation any longer; it’s time for things to get serious AZ Alkmaar vs. Tottenham HotspurAFAS Stadion, Alkmaar, NetherlandsThursday, March 6, 2025Time: 12:45 p.m. ET, 5:45 p.m. UKTV: Not televised in USA, TNT Sports 3 (UK). Check international listings at livesoccertv.comStreaming: Paramount+ The match thread rules are the same as always To any visitors coming here for the first time and be sure to check out the other pages at this outstanding site Search site (opens in an overlay)Tottenham Hotspur StadiumSearchClose search overlayArticles from Spurs #Men'sFirstTeam #EuropaLeague #Matches @SpursOfficial Friday’s UEFA Europa League draw has confirmed our round of 16 opponents as AZ Alkmaar. Here are the key things to know ahead of the first leg at AFAS Stadion on Thursday 6 March AZ will be a familiar name to our fans after our 1-0 win over them on Matchday Three in this season’s league phase - Richarlison’s penalty was all that separated the two teams in N17 The Dutch club followed that result with two wins and two draws securing a knockout phase berth with one game to spare They shook off the tag of the unseeded team in the play-offs with a statement 4-1 win in the home leg versus Galatasaray A 2-2 draw in Istanbul confirmed their place in the round of 16 A long-time fixture in the upper reaches of the Eredivisie table AZ are once again contending for European qualification sitting just three points adrift of a Champions League qualifying round place Der Kaasboeren (the Cheese Farmers) are fighting on multiple fronts with a KNVB Cup semi-final coming up this week in addition to their European progress Academy graduate Troy Parrott has enjoyed a impressive first season so far for AZ following his summer move away from the Club His 17 goals in all competitions are almost double the next highest tally at AZ and he’s played in every single game for his club thus far Manager Maarten Martens has just completed his first full year at the helm at the AFAS Stadion having progressed from roles as AZ’s under-21 and first-team assistant manager since 2021 After exiting last season’s UEFA Europa Conference League at the group stage this campaign represents Martens’ deepest run in Europe so far October’s win at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was our only competitive fixture vs AZ to date 1 Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro *12 Hobie Verhulst13 Sem Westerveld31 Daniël Deen *41 Jeroen Zoet53 Tristan Kuijsten *56 Arouna Kabba *64 Koen Schilder *65 Jur Schipper *73 Kiyani Zeggen * 4 Bruno Martins Indi5 Alexandre Penetra16 Seiya Maikuma18 David Møller Wolfe22 Maxim Dekker *30 Denso Kasius34 Mees de Wit44 Joeri Oud *47 Rayan Atikallah *51 Jorn Berkhout58 Jeremiah Esajas *60 Mathijs Menu *69 Jurre van Aken *71 Jereno van Gom *72 Sem Dekkers *74 Jesper Zwart *75 Misha Engel 3 Wouter Goes *6 Peer Koopmeiners8 Jordy Clasie10 Sven Mijnans14 Kristijan Belić24 Lewis Schouten *26 Kees Smit *28 Zico Buurmeester33 Dave Kwakman *48 Kasper Boogaard *52 Elijah Dijkstra *57 Job Kalisvaart *59 Lev Lenssen *61 Julian Oerip *62 Enoch Mastoras *63 Rio Robbemond *67 Ilias Splinter *68 Nick Twisk *76 Tómas Johannessen79 Bohdan Budko 7 Ruben van Bommel9 Troy Parrott11 Ibrahim Sadiq17 Jayden Addai *21 Ernest Poku *23 Mayckel Lahdo25 Lequincio Zeefuik35 Mexx Meerdink *37 Ro-Zangelo Daal *46 Adam Ait Ali Oulhaj *49 Wassim Bouziane *54 Jayen Gerold *55 Jasper Hartog *66 Anthony Smits *70 Yoël van den Ban *77 Kevin Toppenberg78 Sem Van Duijn With their Premier League season in tatters Tottenham look to make strides in the Europa League as they travel to meet Dutch side AZ Alkmaar in the first leg of their Round of 16 matchup unable to procure any kind of real consistent momentum but they remain one of the top contenders in Europe thanks to both their club's stature and the return of a few injured players While they will have to press on without key contributor Dejan Kulusevski Spurs will be excited for the comeback of a few others who are sure to be primed for big minutes STREAM:Catch every single Champions League which won't get them much in terms of European qualification next season Yet they upset Turkish giants Galatasaray in the knockout-playoff round giving Spurs reason to worry about the threat they pose MORE: Spurs' path to the Europa League final MORE: All the latest Tottenham news | 2024/25 Premier League top goal scorers list | Latest Champions League top goal scorer list Kyle Bonn is a Syracuse University broadcast journalism graduate with over a decade of experience covering soccer globally. Kyle specializes in soccer tactics and betting with a degree in data analytics. Kyle also does TV broadcasts for Wake Forest soccer and has had previous stops with NBC Soccer and IMG College he has long enjoyed loyalty to the New York Giants and Fulham. Kyle enjoys playing racquetball and video games when not watching or covering sports Sir Claudio didn't hold back when discussing Roma's struggles against AZ Alkmaar this evening Despite their sluggish start to the season Roma remained alive and well in the Europa League sitting firmly in the middle of the 36-team table ahead of today's Matchday 7 fixture against AZ Alkmaar While a victory over their Dutch adversaries wouldn't have guaranteed a spot in the Round of 16 it could have potentially helped the Giallorossi avoid the anxiety of the playoff rounds where 16 teams (placed 9th through 24th on the table) vied for one of the eight remaining spots in the knockout round Claudio Ranieri's side played a lot of pretty football this evening but came up empty-handed, as more often than not, the combined trickery of Paulo Dybala, Alexis Saelemaekers, and even Matías Soulé went for naught in Roma's 1-0 defeat to AZ Alkmaar Given that the match itself was light on highlights we'll jump straight to Ranieri's post-match presser—though the highlights themselves are embedded at the bottom of this piece What were you most disappointed with this evening “The fact that we mostly controlled the game and yet the other team won It’s a shame because conceding a goal like that – from a throw-in – is hard to take “We played well and created lots of openings but our opponents have got all three points having spent the match defending We had the game in our hands and we let it get away from us.” there were six AZ players against four Roma players It’s not the first time Roma have conceded a goal like that That’s our takeaway from a game we were in control of But that’s football: we weren’t able to score [Mile] Svilar didn’t have any saves to make Could Manu Kone perhaps have been a bit more attacking He wasn’t supposed to carry the ball up the field – I told him not to do that – because they’d then have attacked us with two or three players That’s why I asked them to move the ball around quickly then play it forward It’s a shame because it was a good performance The team played well but what have we got to show for it They’ve picked up three points with minimum effort Did you perhaps need more players getting up into the box we moved the ball around but weren’t able to get decent shots away This was a remarkably candid reflection from the 73-year-old manager who didn’t pull punches when describing his club's struggles this evening in the Netherlands Roma's failings this evening—an inability to create and/or finish clear-cut chances in the final third—aren't tied to any particular tactical approach or failure on Ranieri's part Roma just seems to turn in clunkers like this periodically—it's almost as if its coded into the club's very DNA Ranieri's task ahead of next week's do-or-die fixture against Eintracht Frankfurt—and even before this weekend's league fixture against Udinese—is to figure out a way to de-clunk Roma's approach in the final third Whether that means playing more directly through Dovbyk Ranieri can't rest on his laurels; this type of profligacy tends to linger A win next week against Frankfurt will ensure Roma qualifies for the Knockout Phase playoffs keeping the Giallorossi's European dreams alive for another few weeks