AZ Alkmaar edges past Olympiacos in entertaining friendly

AZ Alkmaar and Olympiacos FC served up an entertaining friendly at the AFAS Stadion, with the Dutch side emerging as 3-2 winners in front of their home support. The match had plenty of pace and attacking intent from both teams, setting the tone for what would prove to be an absorbing encounter between two sides in their pre-season preparations.

Olympiacos made the brighter start and broke the deadlock through A. E. Kaabi in the 25th minute, giving the visitors an early advantage. The Greeks looked composed in possession and looked threatening on the counter. However, AZ refused to lie down and mounted their response, eventually finding the back of the net to turn the match around. The hosts were level by the time the teams reached half-time, having taken control of proceedings after falling behind. Yellow cards were issued to both S. Hezze of Olympiacos and R. Daal of AZ in the 30th minute as tempers briefly threatened to boil over.

Olympiacos got their second goal just before the interval when D. Carmo added his name to the scoresheet at the 45-minute mark, giving the visitors a 2-1 lead going into the break. That goal appeared to have swung momentum back towards the Greek outfit, and it looked as though they might hold on. But AZ came out with real purpose in the second half, dominating possession and creating chances at will. The home side's persistence paid off as they eventually fought their way back into the match and found a way past the Olympiacos defence twice more to secure a 3-2 win.

The result offered AZ Alkmaar a strong finish to their pre-season programme, giving manager and players alike confidence heading into the new campaign. For Olympiacos, there would be lessons to take from the second-half collapse, though a friendly of this calibre provided valuable match practice. Both teams will now turn their attention to their domestic schedules with useful minutes under their belts.