NEC Nijmegen strike early to win in Alkmaar | OneFootball

Match in Five Sentences: NEC Nijmegen beat AZ 3-1 in Alkmaar. Tjaronn Chery opened the scoring in the 10th minute with a right-footed strike from outside the box after a pass from Noé Lebreton. Basar Önal soon doubled the lead (12.), and after the restart Kodai Sano's long-range left-footer settled it (52.). NEC carried the greater threat, registering 19 attempts with eight on target, while the hosts mustered only two efforts on target. NEC rise from fourth to third as AZ drop from fifth to sixth, and now the visitors host Volendam in the KNVB Beker while the hosts face FC Twente in the same competition next.

Player of the Match: Kodai Sano drove the game with a goal after the break and an assist, adding five interceptions, six ball recoveries and 19 successful final-third passes.

Stat of the Match: Kodai Sano produced five interceptions, repeatedly breaking up AZ build-up before launching counters.

Three Things We Learned: NEC's fast start told, with two goals inside 12 minutes putting the game on their terms. AZ's finishing was blunt, with only two shots on target from 11 attempts and a shot accuracy of 18.2%. NEC mixed their threat well, taking 10 shots inside the box and nine from outside.