Juventus Beat AZ Alkmaar 2-1 in Europa League Match

Juventus beat AZ Alkmaar 2-1 in a Europa League match at the Afas Stadion in Alkmaar, Netherlands, with first-half goals from Teun Koopmeiners and Randal Kolo Muani sealing the win, adnkronos.com reported.

Koopmeiners and Kolo Muani Strike in the First Half

Koopmeiners opened the scoring in the 19th minute. Randal Kolo Muani broke down the right wing and crossed for his Dutch teammate, who beat AZ goalkeeper De Busser with a shot off the post. Koopmeiners, a former AZ player, was under the spotlight for the family matchup with his brother Peer, who plays for the Dutch side.

The 37th minute brought the second goal. Spalletti’s side pressed high on AZ’s build-up play, Woltemade played Kolo Muani through in the box, and the Frenchman finished cleanly with a left-footed shot off the far post, adnkronos.com reported.

Meerdink Scores Late; Equalizer Disallowed for Offside

AZ grew stronger in the second half and made changes that shortened the gap. In the 87th minute, Meerdink pushed the ball in from two yards out to make it 2-1 and give the hosts hope of a late comeback.

That comeback briefly arrived in stoppage time, when Meerdink again found the net, but the goal was annulled for offside. Juventus held on, suffered late pressure, and took the three points.

Ten Points Put Juventus Within Reach of the Round of 16

The win lifts Juventus to 10 points in the standings, their third victory in four matches, and brings direct qualification to the round of 16 within sight, adnkronos.com reported.

Fiorentina Visit on November 8

Juventus returns to action on Sunday, November 8 at 20:45, hosting Fiorentina at the Stadium in Turin.