All still to play for as Real drew against Alkmaar and move closer to qualifying for the knockout stage. It was a very even and competitive match.
This game at the AFAS Stadion was very different to the fixture at the Reale Arena. From the opening moments, the hosts piled the pressure on and played at a high intensity. Despite that, the realistas took control of the ball and started to dominate. In fact, they produced the first sign of danger, but Januzaj’s shot went wide. The Dutch side had two chances. First, the chance created by Stengs which went just wide. Later, Midtsjo’s shot was denied by a brilliant Remiro. Both teams created chances to score but it was Real which dominated.
After half-time, AZ surprised Real in two occasions. De Wit’s header was stopped by Remiro whereas Koopmeiners’ left-footed shot from outside the box hit the crossbar. From that moment on, Real started to command the match and could have opened the scoring through Roberto López who didn’t have luck. Both teams had clear chances in the final minutes but none of them found the back of the net.
Real got a point against AZ but it isn’t enough to seal qualification for the Round of 32 just yet. There are two finals left and we'll go out to win. Aupa Real!
Match details:
AZ Alkmaar: Bizot, Svensson, Hatzidiakos, Martins Indi, Wijndal, Midtsjo, De Wit, Koopmeiners (cap), Stengs, Karlsson (Aboukhlal, min.71) and Gudmundsson (Boadu, min.71).
Real Sociedad: Remiro, Zaldua, Aritz, Le Normand, Monreal, Zubimendi, Merino, Oyarzabal (cap)(Merquelanz, min.86), Portu (Barrenetxea, min.82), Januzaj (López, min.73) and Isak (Willian José, min.73).
Referee: Stavrev (Macedonia). Cautioned Midtsjo, Svensson, Martins Indi, Hatzidiakos and Boadu for AZ Aklmaar and Oyarzabal for Real Sociedad.
