UEFA Cup semi-final second leg AZ Alkmaar v Sporting Lisbon [R]

[verde-rubro]

AZ Alkmaar v Sporting Lisbon statbox


LONDON, May 4 (Reuters) - Statistics and head-to-head
records for Thursday's UEFA Cup semi-final second leg between AZ
Alkmaar and Sporting Lisbon:


ALKMAAR

Suspended: Michael Buskermolen, Olaf Lindenbergh (one-match
bans)

Injured: Joris Mathijsen (knee), Jan Kromkamp (ankle),
Martijn Meerdink (knee)

Doubtful: none


SPORTING

Suspended: none

Injured: Carlos Martins (thigh), Mauricio Pinilla (thigh)

Doubtful: Joseph Enakarhire (thigh), Rogerio (muscle)


Probable teams:

Alkmaar: 1-Henk Timmer; 3-Kew Jaliens, 29-Ron Vlaar, 4-Barry
Opdam, 15-Tim de Cler; 6-Denny Landzaat, 20-Barry van Galen,
10-Adil Ramzi; 11-Tarik Sektioui, 19-Robin Nelisse, 21-Kenneth
Perez

Sporting: 76-Ricardo; 37-Rogerio, 22-Beto, 17-Joseph
Enakarhire, 23-Rui Jorge; 45-Hugo Viana, 26-Fabio Rochemback,
28-Joao Moutinho, 17-Roudolphe Douala; 8-Pedro Barbosa,
31-Liedson.

Referee: Claus Bo Larsen (Denmark)


Head-to-heads

Played: 1 Wins: Sporting Lisbon 1

UF: SF 28.04.05 Sporting Lisbon 2 AZ Alkmaar 1

-- Alkmaar are unbeaten in 19 European home matches, only
four of which finished as draws. They failed to score only once
- a 0-0 draw with Ipswich Town in the 1978-79 Cup Winners' Cup.

-- Alkmaar's only previous real claim to fame was an
appearance in the 1980-81 UEFA Cup final when they lost, also to
Ipswich Town, 5-4 on aggregate.

-- It is Alkmaar's first season in Europe for 22 years. In
total they have played just 39 European matches and, remarkably,
have lost only seven.

-- Sporting have not reached a European final since they
beat MTK Budapest to win the 1963-64 Cup Winners' Cup.

-- Sporting have lost only one of their last nine European
away games, a 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United in this season's
quarter-finals.

-- Sporting can hope for a parallel with their last match
against Dutch opposition. They beat Feyenoord 2-1 at home in the
third round this season and won by the same score in Rotterdam
in the away leg.

-- Sporting have won on their last three visits to the
Netherlands and have won on four out of five games there.

[verde-rubro]

-- Sporting have lost only one of their last nine European
away games, a 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United in this season's
quarter-finals.

-- Sporting can hope for a parallel with their last match
against Dutch opposition. They beat Feyenoord 2-1 at home in the
third round this season and won by the same score in Rotterdam
in the away leg.

-- Sporting have won on their last three visits to the
Netherlands and have won on four out of five games there.

Lets hope sporting can do it

[Simmert]

AZ didn't lost one single home game this year, so I think this will be a very exciting game.

[Forza AZ]

AZ didn't lost one single home game this year, so I think this will be a very exciting game.
Well, we lost 1 home game this season, in the Dutch Cup to Feyenoord (1-3), but then we played for over an hour with 9 men.
For the rest we indeed didn't lose a home game in both the league and the UEFA-cup (in European Cups we even didn't lose a home game ever).

[ISiddiqui]

WHAT A GAME!

2-1 for AZ after full time, tying on aggregate. In extra time, the 2nd period, AZ scores (off a corner), getting them 1 up on aggregate, and in the last seconds, Sporting with a corner kick that leads to a goal.... meaning they move on on away goals!

This is one of the best games I've ever seen. Too bad AZ had to go home. Both teams deserved to win.

[ronaldinhobr10]

what a match!
i love the way these teams play

[afgrijselijkheid]

Both teams deserved to win.


ummm not really, that game should have ended at 120' - there should be no two flippin' minutes of injury time in the extra session

AZ were robbed

[obie]

Forgive me for my US-centric idiocy, but why does the extra time goal get to count in the away goals rule? Those were 30 extra minutes that AZ Alkmaar didn't get to play in Lisbon last week, so given that that's the first tiebreaker, doesn't AZ have a gripe that the two-leg system was not fair to them?

Not that I have an interest either way, but that rule is silly. It was 3-3 on aggregate and 1-1 on away goals after 180 -- that should be the end of the relevance of the result to date. They should reset the system for 30 minutes / PKs, and whatever happens in the extra time stands alone as the result.

[FCBasel1893]

Just saw the match...

I feel sorry for all the AZ fans and players. Wouldn't want to be in their position right now. Really very very bitter, rarely ever saw anything like that (reminded me of Schalke losing the title to Bayern in extra-time of the last matchday).

But props also to Sporting who never gave up.

Great semifinal overall.

[ronaldinhobr10]

Forgive me for my US-centric idiocy, but why does the extra time goal get to count in the away goals rule? Those were 30 extra minutes that AZ Alkmaar didn't get to play in Lisbon last week, so given that that's the first tiebreaker, doesn't AZ have a gripe that the two-leg system was not fair to them?

Not that I have an interest either way, but that rule is silly. It was 3-3 on aggregate and 1-1 on away goals after 180 -- that should be the end of the relevance of the result to date. They should reset the system for 30 minutes / PKs, and whatever happens in the extra time stands alone as the result.

100% agree with you on that
i think that since they drew 3-3 on aggregate and same amount of away goals.....they go to extra time (which is what happened)
but i think that the goals in extra time should not have the away goals rule in them
so i say there should have been penalty shootout for this one

[AFCA]

I think 'entertaining football' would be better served without any away-goal rule.

Afterall, football has changed and home advantage isn't what it used to be.

Then again, easy to say when two Dutch team were screwed on the away goal rule.

But overall, I really think this rule is a thing of the past.

[Offside2]

AFter PSV now AZ has to take the bitter pill along with all the people who like attacking football. It has been superb to see the games, but at the end the best teams didn't progress.

[Clan]

Oh Lord - cue more portupimping for another year if they win :rolleyes:

[AFCA]

Moskwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ;)

[Clan]

Moskwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ;)

:D

[jambon-beurre]

That away goal rule in the extra-time is totally unfair ... I think it has been erased from the rules of the european cups but it has been reestablished recently, dont know why ...

[afgrijselijkheid]

Forgive me for my US-centric idiocy, but why does the extra time goal get to count in the away goals rule? Those were 30 extra minutes that AZ Alkmaar didn't get to play in Lisbon last week, so given that that's the first tiebreaker, doesn't AZ have a gripe that the two-leg system was not fair to them?


excellent excellent observation, just one more way AZ got screwed tonight

[ISiddiqui]

Oh come off it... AZ knew those were the rules before they went into the game, so you can't be screwed because of a rule that everyone knew about. Unfortunate? perhaps... screwed? No.

[Portista69]

excellent excellent observation, just one more way AZ got screwed tonight

Get over it, we own Holland :cool:

[ALBU]

Oh Lord - cue more portupimping for another year if they win :rolleyes:


Oh I like the term portupimp - but really, what's not to be hyped about if you're portuguese:
- 2003: FC Porto UEFA Cup Champions
- 2004: FC Porto CL Champions
- 2004: NT places second in EURO
- 2004: FC Porto win Intercontinental Cup
- 2005: Sporting in UEFA Cup final (winner still TBD, obviously)