NOS Voetbal•gisteren, 22:14
Watch the summary of Almere City – AZ
AZ has managed to secure the first three points of the season with some difficulty. On a visit to Almere City FC, the team from Alkmaar won 0-1, but the number of red cards was particularly striking.
The duel started with a beautiful goal. The fast winger Ibrahim Sadiq was sent deep after five minutes and picked up the ball. He dribbled briefly and then took a perfect shot from the edge of the penalty area. The ball disappeared unstoppably into the corner (0-1).
Red cards
The match was then marred by no less than three (rightly given) red cards. After less than twenty minutes, Maxim Dekker wanted to stop a counter by Almere City with a sliding tackle, but in doing so, he raised his leg very high. He hit his opponent Kornelius Hansen hard.
Almere had a numerical advantage and was therefore briefly the superior team, but then debutant Baptiste Guillaume kicked Wouter Goes while the ball was nowhere near. The video referee noticed it and it was ten against ten again.
Guillaume after red card: ‘Not my fault, after all that pinching and scratching’
There was even a hat-trick of red cards. Referee Martin van den Kerkhof had to take action again ten minutes before the end. Ricardo Visus, also a debutant for Almere tonight, performed a clumsy tackle on the legs of Jordy Clasie. Visus seemed to have the intention to play the ball, but swept Clasie down hard with his other leg, so the red card was justified again.
It remained at three red cards and the 0-1 also remained. AZ played the ball around in injury time and pulled the victory over the line.
