AZ, the number five of the regular season of Eredivisie, hit their ticket for the qualifying rounds of the UEFA Europa Conference League after beating FC Twente 3-2 in the final of the Dutch play-offs.
AZ organized FC Twente, the number six of the regular season, after comfortably eliminating SC Herenveen with 4-1 in the semi-final of Thursday, while visitors Twente needed extra time to eliminate NEC Nijmegen after he fell to ten men in the first half.
The hesitant of both parties starts to end abruptly when the Portuguese defender Alexandre Penetra caused a controversial fine for FC Twente, who turned the top goalscorer of the Eredivisie Sem Steijn after 20 minutes.
Steijn, who probably played his last game for FC Twente prior to an expected move to Feyenoord, doubled the lead of FC Twente after 40 minutes. Daan Rots launched Michel Vlap in the penalty area of ​​AZ, where Vlap Steijn perfectly kept, who put the ball in an empty net.
However, the visitors would not enter the peace with a pillow with two goals, because the hat trick hero on Thursday, Mexx Meerdink, received one for AZ with an explosive effort from close by. FC Twente feared that it was about to go badly to worse after a reckless challenge from Ricky van Wolfswinkel, but referee Serdar Gozubuyuk ignored the VAR official advice and held on to the yellow card he had given the former Norwich striker.
After the break, AZ Center-Hem Maxim Dekker, who replaced an injured Penetra during the break, sent a wonderful ball over the FC Twente defense and in the direction of Merdink, but the young striker could not close 1-on-1 with Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro.
Ruben van Bommel, son of former Milan and Barcelona midfielder Mark van Bommel, played the game on his head in the 52nd minute with a powerful distance from a distance that surprised the 38-year-old Stopprzemyslaw Tyton: 2-2.
When the last twenty minutes started, a stunning reflex from Owusu-Oduro and a goal line save from Dekker AZ to fall behind for the second time after Michel Vlap's efforts up close.
The home team completed a sensational comeback in the 94th minute when former Spurs striker Troy Parrott saw his efforts bent away by Tyton, but tapped by teammate Ibrahim Sadiq while the home audience erupted.
Youth International Owusu-Oduro again saved AZ with a great salvation on a shot by Arno Verschueren, and the home team officially hit their ticket for the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa Conference League. It will be the eighth consecutive European season for the home team.
FC Twente, who were eliminated in this UEFA Europa League season of the surprise package from Bodo/Glimt, miss European football for the first time since 2022.