Willem II secured their first win of the season as they saw off a poor AZ Alkmaar 3-0 in Tilburg on Saturday evening.
- By Michael Bell
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After beginning the season with two defeats, newly promoted Willem II went into the match determined to turn their form around, and against an off-key AZ Alkmaar they were easy victors.
On fifteen minutes Willem II had the lead with Ben Sahar capitalising on a terrible back pass by Mattias Johansson before rounding Esteban, and teeing up Bruno Andrade to slot into the net from close range.
AZ looked shell shocked, and Willem II continued to stream forward with Esteban having to make a smart stop from Sahar, before Ali Messaoud struck the post. Just before the 30th minute mark Willem II found their second goal, and once again AZ’s defence was all over the place, with a throw in causing chaos in the box before Messaoud finished on the rebound, after his first effort came off the post.
AZ emerged from the break looking more determined, but Willem II keeper Kostas Lamprou made an excellent stop from substitute Thom Haye. With five minutes to go Willem II sealed their victory with Charlton Vicento allowed to glide straight through the AZ defence before lifting the ball over Esteban.
AZ coach Marco van Basten will be furious with how his side played, and he will now have to lift them after two straight losses, while Willem II will undoubtedly gain confidence from their first win since returning to the Eredivisie.
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