AZ Alkmaar carried their form into a comfortable victory at Utrecht, winning 4-1 in the Eredivisie's second round on Saturday. The visitors made no mistake in a match that saw them control the tempo from the opening whistle and punish every error. Pir Koopmeiners struck twice before half-time, while Weslley Patati and M. Meerdink added two more in the opening minutes of the second period. A. Stepanov pulled one back for the hosts, but A. Oufkir sealed the result late on.
The match settled into a rhythm that suited AZ's structure, and here's the thing — it was the moments, not the possession, that told the story. Utrecht struggled to find their shape against a side that pressed with purpose and moved the ball with confidence. The hosts managed 48 per cent of the ball, but it was the visitors who created the clear chances, with nine shots on target compared to two. By then, the gap in quality was already apparent.
Statistics don't always capture the full picture, but they can point to where the imbalance lay. AZ registered 2.1 expected goals to Utrecht's 0.91, and their shots accuracy of 38 per cent versus 25 per cent told a similar tale. The hosts made more passes in their own half, while the visitors pushed into the opposition territory with greater intent. To be fair, Utrecht did win more aerial duels, but it was a battle they could not sustain.
Substitutions began to come into play as the game opened up. Utrecht brought on Y. Cathline and F. Pohl in the 62nd minute, only for A. Stepanov to score shortly after. AZ responded with fresh legs, bringing on K. Smit and K. R. Daal as A. Zagre was replaced. The visitors' control never wavered, and P. Koopmeiners was withdrawn in the 85th minute after his brace.
The result leaves Utrecht rooted to the bottom of the table with just one point from four games, while AZ sit top with a perfect five wins from five matches. The hosts have now lost three of their last four matches across all competitions, while the visitors have not dropped a point since the season began. And here's the thing — it was never going to be easy at Galgenwaard, but this was a performance that spoke volumes about where both sides stand.