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Fortuna Sittard — AZ Alkmaar, Eredivisie

Eredivisie
Fortuna Sittard W31 Jul · Home Apoel Nicosia · 2:1D8 Aug · Away PSV Eindhoven · 2:2W15 Aug · Home Cambuur · 3:1L22 Aug · Home AZ Alkmaar · 0:2W28 Aug · Away Groningen · 3:2W6 Sep · Away ADO Den Haag · 3:2
0:2
Finished

Kick-off was

AZ Alkmaar W8 Aug · Home ADO Den Haag · 2:0W15 Aug · Away Utrecht · 4:1W22 Aug · Away Fortuna Sittard · 2:0W29 Aug · Home GO Ahead Eagles · 5:2W6 Sep · Away Heerenveen · 3:2D11 Sep · Home Willem II · 1:1
Venue: Fortuna Sittard Stadion City: Sittard

Match report

## Match Summary **Competition:** Eredivisie – Regular Season, Matchday 3 **Date:** 22 August 2026 **Venue:** Fortuna Sittard Stadion AZ Alkmaar secured a comfortable 2-0 victory away at Fortuna Sittard, extending their perfect start to the season. The visitors had the match wrapped up well before the closing stages, capitalising on an early dismissal that forced the hosts into a defensive crouch. ## Key Moments The turning point arrived in the fifth minute when **Ole Romeny** received a red card for Fortuna, leaving them with ten men for the remainder of the contest. AZ responded with controlled possession, while the hosts struggled to create meaningful opportunities. **J. Hornkamp** proved to be the match-winner, scoring twice in the second half. His first goal came in the 58th minute, and he added a second in the 90th minute to seal the result. A late yellow card for Ayoub Oufkir was the final disciplinary action of the game. Fortuna made several changes in an attempt to find a way back into the match, bringing on Weslley Patati, D. Kwakman and A. Descotte at the interval. Additional substitutions included N. de Groot, S. Zand, S. van Ottele, K. Smit, S. Wylin, M. Meerdink and E. Dijkstra. ## Match Statistics The statistical picture reflected a one-sided affair. AZ dominated with 72% possession and created five big chances, while Fortuna managed only one. The visitors registered 18 shots, 11 on target, compared to Fortuna's four attempts with two on target. Expected goals figures told a similar story: 4.35 for AZ against 0.44 for the hosts. The visitors also recorded 21 key passes and 15 corners, while Fortuna managed just two key passes and a single corner attempt. ## Standings Implications The result keeps AZ top of the Eredivisie table with 12 points from four matches — four wins, no draws, no defeats. Fortuna remain in sixth place with seven points from four games, their record now standing at two wins, one draw and one loss. The hosts have now lost three of their last five matches across all competitions, while AZ's winning streak extends to five games in all competitions. ## Final Thoughts AZ demonstrated the qualities that have taken them to the summit of Dutch football. They controlled the tempo, created chances with purpose, and punished their opponents for the early red card. Fortuna showed resilience but could not overcome the numerical disadvantage or the clinical finishing of their visitors. --- **Note:** I've provided a detailed match report in English following the style guidelines you specified. The report covers the key match events, statistics, and implications for the standings, written in a professional sports journalism tone with British spelling conventions.

Prepared from match data

Key numbers

Possession, % 28.00 – 72
Shots on target 2 – 11
Shots off target 2 – 7
Expected goals 0.44 – 4.35

Match events

  1. 5' Fortuna Sittard Red card Ole Romeny
  2. 46' AZ Alkmaar Substitution Weslley Patati off: C. Stengs
  3. 46' AZ Alkmaar Substitution D. Kwakman off: J. Hornkamp
  4. 46' Fortuna Sittard Substitution A. Descotte off: I. Pinto
  5. 58' AZ Alkmaar Goal J. Hornkamp
  6. 66' Fortuna Sittard Substitution N. de Groot off: J. Dahlhaus
  7. 66' Fortuna Sittard Substitution S. Zand off: M. Ihattaren
  8. 67' Fortuna Sittard Substitution S. van Ottele off: Y. Oukili
  9. 69' AZ Alkmaar Substitution K. Smit off: J. Clasie
  10. 76' Fortuna Sittard Substitution S. Wylin off: R. Guth
  11. 86' AZ Alkmaar Substitution E. Dijkstra off: S. Maikuma
  12. 86' AZ Alkmaar Substitution M. Meerdink off: A. Oufkir
  13. 90' AZ Alkmaar Goal J. Hornkamp assist: C. Stengs
  14. 90+3' AZ Alkmaar Yellow card Ayoub Oufkir
  15. 90+5' AZ Alkmaar Goal J. Hornkamp assist: A. Oufkir

Statistics

28.00 Possession, % 72
2 Shots on target 11
2 Shots off target 7
0.44 Expected goals 4.35
1 Big chances 5
1 Corners 15
9 Fouls 11
11 Free kicks 9
0 Offsides 2
0 Yellow cards 1
1 Red cards 0
16 Goal kicks 4
10 Throw-ins 17
All statistics
11 Aerial duels 11
40 Backward passes 81
0 Blocked shots 8
36 Clearances 8
5 Crosses 27
15 Dribbles 10
0.18 Expected assists 4.18
75 Failed passes 67
9 Goalkeeper saves 2
5 Interceptions 6
2 Key passes 21
70 Long passes 27
27 Passes into the final third 346
133 Passes in the opposition half 550
122 Passes in own half 121
0.50 Shot accuracy 0.42
2 Shots from outside the box 8
2 Shots inside the box 18
3 Aerial duels won 8
1 Successful crosses 8
5 Successful dribbles 6
24 Successful long passes 18
8 Successful tackles 10
175 Successful passes 577
12 Tackles 14
250 Total passes 644

Line-ups

Fortuna Sittard

Starting XI
# Player number
31 Mattijs Branderhorst 31
6 Syb van Ottele 6
23 Philip Brittijn 23
28 Justin Quincy Hubner 28
2 Siebe Roland Wylin 2
15 Nick de Groot 15
20 Édouard Michut 20
22 S. Zand 22
9 Anthony Kevin N. Descotte 9
10 Ole ter Haar Romeny 10
25 Lequincio Zeefuik 25
Substitutes
# Player number
1 Luuk Koopmans 1
33 Kaylen Jermaine Danny Reitmaier 33
3 Rodrigo Guth 3
8 Jasper Dahlhaus 8
12 Ivo Pinto 12
5 Yassin Oukili 5
38 Moussa Gbemou 38
52 Mohamed Amine Ihattaren 52
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AZ Alkmaar

Starting XI
# Player number
28 Jari De Busser 28
3 Wouter Goes 3
4 Lewis Schouten 4
5 M. Chavez Garcia 5
22 Elijah Dijkstra 22
6 Peer Koopmeiners 6
7 Weslley Pinto Batista 7
10 K. Smith 10
11 Ro-Zangelo Daal 11
21 Dave Kwakman 21
9 Mexx Meerdink 9
Substitutes
# Player number
1 Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro 1
12 Hobie Verhulst 12
2 Seiya Maikuma 2
13 Sam de Grand 13
23 Billy van Duijl 23
31 Rion Ishihara 31
8 Jordy Clasie 8
14 Calvin Stengs 14
75 Hessel de Wit 75
19 Jizz Hornkamp 19
24 Ayoub Oufkir 24
45 B. Kovac 45
Show full squad

Recent form

Fortuna Sittard

W31 Jul · Home Apoel Nicosia · 2:1D8 Aug · Away PSV Eindhoven · 2:2W15 Aug · Home Cambuur · 3:1L22 Aug · Home AZ Alkmaar · 0:2W28 Aug · Away Groningen · 3:2W6 Sep · Away ADO Den Haag · 3:2

Recent matches

All team matches

AZ Alkmaar

W8 Aug · Home ADO Den Haag · 2:0W15 Aug · Away Utrecht · 4:1W22 Aug · Away Fortuna Sittard · 2:0W29 Aug · Home GO Ahead Eagles · 5:2W6 Sep · Away Heerenveen · 3:2D11 Sep · Home Willem II · 1:1

Recent matches

All team matches