Guus Til netted twice late on as AZ Alkmaar came from behind to beat Heerenveen 2-1 in Friesland.
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Heerenveen went into the game on the back of three straight league losses and the Frisians were also knocked out of the KNVB Cup in midweek.
Looking to turn around his side’s form, Heerenveen coach Jurgen Streppel brought Michael Vlap into the starting line-up and the midfielder opened the scoring in the 21st minute. A fantastic flick in the box by Martin Odegaard set Vlap in on goal and the midfielder slammed a strike high past Marco Bizot.
AZ Alkmaar missed several chances to get the equaliser before the break, with Alireza Jahanbakhsh particularly guilty of some poor finishing in front of goal. Heerenveen’s defence stood firm in the second half until the 73rd minute when Guus Til tapped in Jonas Svensson’s cross to make it 1-1.
The game was heading for a draw but in the 90th minute, Jahanbakhsh’s cross found an unmarked Til at the back post and the midfielder netted the winner for AZ.
The win lifts AZ up to 4th while Heerenveen slide to 9th.
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