Almere City FC failed to draw against AZ Alkmaar. During the first round of play for the Almere team in their own Yanmar Stadium, they lost 0-1 due to an early goal. The match was marred by three red cards.
It takes some getting used to on the sidelines. TV analyst Hedwiges Maduro is serving as head coach for the first time, while football dino Bram van Polen is joining as a TV analyst for the first time. In addition, Almere City FC – AZ Alkmaar is the poster where Peer Koopmeiners makes his comeback in the Yanmar Stadium. Last season he provided 10 assists. This time in the club colours of the Alkmaarders.
AZ starts the match like a raging tornado and takes the lead after just four minutes, when Ibrahim Sadiq slides the ball under Ricardo Visus’ leg and into the far corner. Almere City FC then delivers a few pinpricks, but the equalizer does not come.
In the opening match of the season, AZ player Maxim Dekker oversteps the mark after twenty minutes after a hard tackle on Almere City FC attacker Kornelius Hansen. Dekker is immediately shown a red card. A striking detail: the violation takes place at exactly the same spot where Peer Koopmeiners was shown a red card two matches before the end of the season.
The match takes an unexpected turn due to the red card. The balance of chances swings in favor of the home team, with a shot from Jochem Ritmeester van de Kamp leading the way. The luxury is short-lived, because striker Baptiste Guillaume also lets himself go on this heated evening and is also sent off with a red card.
In the second half, an equalizer becomes increasingly distant and it is AZ that claims to double the score. Vasilios Zagaritis (who slides a ball out of the goalmouth) and Nordin Bakker prevent worse, which at least keeps the tension in the match.
When Ricardo Visus is also sent off after a charge ten minutes before the end, a point seems far away for Hedwiges Maduro’s team. The opposite is true: Almere City FC is pushing to achieve something in the last seven minutes of injury time. Without success.
Next week Almere City FC will undertake the longest away trip of the season. The team will travel to Fortuna Sittard on Friday evening. Tickets for this match are still available until Tuesday.
Foto’s Orange Pictures
