Match Report
On the table this was a mismatch: AZ Alkmaar (1st, 19 pts) held a 17-point advantage over Willem II (18th, 2 pts). Scoring rates set the scale: AZ Alkmaar 2.57 scored and 0.86 conceded per game, Willem II 0.86 and 2.86, with the league averaging 1.9.
AZ Alkmaar had won eight straight, having scored in 14 consecutive games. AZ Alkmaar had banked 15 of the last 15 points on offer; Willem II, 4.
The head-to-head ledger counts 24 games: 12 AZ Alkmaar wins, 7 for Willem II, 5 draws, at 2.75 goals per meeting.
AFAS Stadion, capacity 19,500, hosted the game. The referee was M. van den Kerkhof, with 100 matches in our database and 1.3 yellows per game on average. Half-time and full-time told different stories: AZ Alkmaar led 1-0 at the break, before 1 more goal closed it at 1-1.
Goal scorers
AZ Alkmaar: Jordy Clasie (32') · Willem II: Devin Haen (81')
Key stats
Possession: AZ Alkmaar 67% · Willem II 33% · Total shots: 22-8 · On target: 5-2 · Corners: 11-2