AZ Suffer Heartbreaking Third Consecutive KNVB Beker Final Defeat: ‘It’s an Emotional Blow’

The defeat in the KNVB Beker final against Go Ahead Eagles has hit AZ hard, described as an “emotional sucker punch” by both manager Maarten Martens and captain Bruno Martins Indi.

This marked AZ’s third consecutive loss in the KNVB Beker final, following defeats in 2017 and 2018, as they succumbed to the Alkmaar side 4-2 on penalties after the match ended in a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes.

Manager Maarten Martens felt that his team was unjustly denied victory, having been in the lead for much of the second half. “We should have lifted the trophy after 90 minutes. If we’d made it 2-0, it would have been game over. This is incredibly painful.”

‘There’s little you can do’

Following an exhilarating first half, the match was interrupted during the second half due to fireworks from the Go Ahead Eagles supporters. After a brief pause, AZ was awarded a penalty, which Irish international Troy Parrott converted on his second attempt. The equaliser for Go Ahead Eagles came in the 99th minute when their midfielder Peer Koopmeiners conceded a penalty after appearing to handle the ball following a pull on his shirt.

Martens observed a clear foul on Koopmeiners. “It’s evident that Peer was being held,” the Belgian stated.

Koopmeiners himself commented on the incident, expressing that the pull disrupted his balance, leading to his hands being raised. “Of course, there’s a degree of pushing and pulling in matches. When you’re thrown off balance, there’s little you can do to control your movements.”

“I definitely hold myself accountable for having my hands in the air. It was a risk, but I feel it was evident. The referee made a different decision, and right now, this will sting for quite some time.”

‘An emotional sucker punch’

Bruno Martins Indi, the AZ captain, came closest to winning the first major trophy of his career. The 33-year-old defender, who was part of the Netherlands team that won a bronze medal at the 2014 World Cup, again faced disappointment as they were eliminated by Argentina on penalties in the semi-finals. This time, it was Go Ahead Eagles celebrating their first Dutch Cup triumph after a tense shootout.“It’s undeniably tough. It feels like an emotional sucker punch.”

“We had more than enough chances to seal the win within 90 minutes but fell short. We created numerous opportunities. In previous matches, we might not have created as many, but we needed to finish our chances properly and maintain our defensive solidity.”

Securing the KNVB Beker was AZ’s best chance for direct qualification to European competition. Currently, they sit 13 points behind fourth-placed FC Utrecht and will likely need to navigate the play-offs to book their European spot. AZ will aim to improve their position in the Eredivisie when they host NAC Breda on Thursday.

“That’s why we need to move past this quickly. We have to aim for European football.”

For a detailed analysis of the KNVB Beker final, check out our match report here.