Juventus came through a nervy finish to beat AZ Alkmaar 2-1 in the Europa League on Thursday night, with first-half goals from Teun Koopmeiners and Randal Kolo Muani ending the hosts’ long unbeaten home record in Europe. The win moves Spalletti’s side a step closer to a top-eight finish in the league phase. Here’s how every Juventus player rated in Alkmaar.
Spalletti was without McKennie, Yildiz, Locatelli, Nico González, Conceição, Çelik, Thuram and Grabara through injury, and Jeff Ekhator was added to the UEFA squad list. Juve made a fast start, and Koopmeiners opened the scoring in the 19th minute against the club where he came through the youth ranks. Kolo Muani flicked the ball over a defender, drove down the right and pulled it back for Koopmeiners to sweep in with his left foot, and the midfielder did not celebrate, with his younger brother Peer captaining AZ. Kolo Muani doubled the lead on 37 minutes after pressing Mees de Wit into an error, with Woltemade returning the pass for the Frenchman to bend a left-footed finish into the far corner. Alajbegović came close with a shot that skimmed the crossbar, but Juve had to defend deeper as AZ pushed. The hosts pulled one back in the 88th minute when Ayoub Oufkir robbed Kelly on the touchline and Elijah Dijkstra pulled the ball back for Mexx Meerdink to tap in. AZ thought they’d equalised in stoppage time, but Meerdink was offside when his header forced an extraordinary save from Vicario, and Juve held on. AZ had 18 shots to Juve’s nine, with an xG of 2.10 to 0.57.
Juventus
Vicario: Produced a remarkable stoppage-time save from Meerdink’s header that kept the three points safe, and was otherwise a composed presence. 6.0/10
Kalulu: A tidy performance on the right as Juve rode out the pressure from AZ in a disjointed second half. 6.0/10
Gatti: Sprinted forward from his own half to join an attack but overhit the final ball for Kolo Muani, and was replaced by Bremer in the closing stages. 6.0/10
Lucumì: Calm in possession and defended well during AZ’s late push, completing more passes than any other Juve player. 6.0/10
Kelly: Blocked a dangerous Smit effort and survived a penalty appeal, but was robbed on the touchline in the build-up to AZ’s goal. 5.0/10
Cambiaso: Booked early in the second half and replaced by Cabal after an hour, a fairly muted evening for the full-back. 5.5/10
Sarr: Did the dirty work in midfield and helped Juve stay compact through a testing spell of AZ pressure. 6.0/10
⭐Koopmeiners: Gave Juve the lead with a composed finish against his former club, and also picked off an errant AZ pass for a promising chance. 7.5/10
Alajbegović: Almost scored with a shot that skimmed the crossbar, but hesitated when presented with a good chance and was withdrawn after an hour. 5.5/10
Woltemade: Supplied the pass for Kolo Muani’s second goal and led the line well with his pressing, before being replaced by Ekhator. 6.5/10
⭐Kolo Muani: The standout performer, creating the opening goal for Koopmeiners with a piece of skill, then scoring a well-taken second himself after a high press. 8.0/10
Spalletti: His side were clinical in the first half and had enough to withstand AZ’s late push, though the closing minutes were more nervous than they should have been. 6.5/10
Substitutions
Cabal: Replaced the booked Cambiaso after an hour and was himself booked in stoppage time during a frantic finish. 5.5/10
Boga: Introduced for Alajbegović at the hour mark to give Juve some fresh legs in attack. 6.0/10
Ekhator: Booked soon after replacing Woltemade as Juve tried to hold on to their advantage. 5.5/10
Bremer: Came on for Gatti to add some experience to the defence as AZ pushed for a way back into the game. 6.0/10
Douglas Luiz: Introduced late on for Kolo Muani to help see out the win. N/A
