AZ - VVV-Venlo

VVV-Venlo travelled home from the away game against champions AZ with empty hands. The home side was clearly in a different league and dominated the match by scoring twice: 2-0.

 

AZ started with some inspired play and came close to scoring the opening goal after just thirty seconds. The VVV-Venlo defence thought Brett Holman was offside giving him the opportunity to pass to Pontus Wernbloom , but luckily for the visitors his shot missed the empty VVV-Venlo goalmouth. AZ kept up the pressure in the first half and saw their efforts rewarded in the 21st minute.. Frank van Kouwen – playing instead of Sjors Verdellen – was easily passed by Jeremain Lens, who then effortlessly defeated Robert Böhm in goal: 1-0.

 

This acted as a wake up call for VVV-Venlo, who then started to play better. The danger for VVV-Venlo was again from Lens, but quick action on the line from Kevin van Dessel stopped his attempt. Loss of possession by AZ gave some hope to VVV-Venlo. After a well built up attack Sandro Calabro was unlucky to see his ball saved by Sergio Romero. Shortly before half time Adil Auassar broke away from Rasmus Elm on the left flank and shot the ball forward from the line. His shot was too high to be effective for his team mates. 

 

In the second half Sjors Verdellen replaced Frank van Kouwen at the back. The defender had barely entered the pitch before AZ had the chance to score again. After an attack by VVV-Venlo, AZ rapidly countered via Jeremain Lens. He sent a ball flying from the right to Brett Holman, who was in the right place at the right moment to score: 2-0. Despite their best intentions this signalled the end of any hope for VVV-Venlo. After around 60 minutes of play Ferry de Regt left the pitch after injuring his knee in an attempt to stop Jeremain Lens from scoring. Michael Timisela took his place in defence on the right.

 

A little later Keisuke Honda raised the a glimmer of hope for VVV-Venlo. However, his fantastic free kick was saved equally well by keeper Romero. The rest of the game was played out in relative peace. AZ seemed content with the two goals and VVV-Venlo failed to make any further impression on the home side. At the final whistle VVV-Venlo left the pitch looking at a 2-0 defeat and with just ten players. Seven minutes before the end of the match Sjors Verdellen was shown a red card for his tackle on Lens. The attacker, who played brilliantly in this match, was replaced by Pellè. Pellè immediately saw some action but his shot hit the post. The programme next week features the important home fixture against Willem II on Friday evening. The mission facing VVV-Venlo in the struggle at the lower region of the league table is to make sure their opponents don’t go home with the three points.  

 

 

Saturday 28 November 2009

 

AZ – VVV-VENLO 2-0

21. Jeremain Lens 1-0, 47. Brett Holman 2-0. Match official: Makkelie. Crowd attendance: 16000. Red card: 83. Sjors Verdellen (VVV-Venlo). Yellow cards: David Mendes da Silva, Moussa Démbéle (AZ), Patrick Paauwe and Sandro Calabro (VVV-Venlo).

 

Squad AZ:

Sergio Romero; Gill Swerts, Héctor Moreno,Niklas Moisander, Sébastien Pocognoli; Rasmus Elm (62. Moussa Démbéle), Stijn Schaars, David Mendes da Silva, Brett Holman (76. Maarten Martens); Jeremain Lens (84. Graziano Pellè) and Pontus Wernbloom.

 

Squad VVV-Venlo:

Robert Böhm; Ferry de Regt (61. Michael Timisela), Frank van Kouwen (46. Sjors Verdellen), Patrick Paauwe, Adil Auassar; Ken Leemans, Keisuke Honda, Kevin van Dessel (76. Ruud Boymans); Ruben Schaken, Sandro Calabro and Achmed Ahahaoui.