Ferencvaros Hold Off AZ Alkmaar Fightback to Win 4-3 and Reach Europa League Play-Offs

Ferencvaros secured a thrilling 4-3 victory over AZ Alkmaar to reach the UEFA Europa League play-offs, despite a late fightback from the Dutch side.

Ferencvaros secured a thrilling 4-3 victory over AZ Alkmaar in Robbie Keane's first home game as manager, extending their unbeaten run at the Groupama Aréna to seven matches. Despite the high-scoring nature of the match, both teams ultimately achieved their objective, advancing to the Europa League play-offs.

Ferencvaros knew that a win would guarantee their place in the round of 16 play-offs, and they wasted no time in taking the lead. After just nine minutes, Adama Traore delivered an exceptional inswinging cross to Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane at the back post. The Tunisian forward rose above the defense to fire a powerful header into the top-left corner, giving Ferencvaros an early advantage.

😐 𝑵𝒐𝒕 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒘𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒆𝒂𝒈𝒖𝒆 𝑷𝒉𝒂𝒔𝒆.#AZAlkmaar #feraz #UEL #TheFutureIsOurs pic.twitter.com/36BIic4Jur

— AZ (@AZAlkmaar) January 30, 2025

Traore's influence continued to grow, and he turned from provider to goalscorer with 34 minutes on the clock. The Mali international played a clever one-two with Alex Tóth before unleashing a thunderous strike from outside the penalty area. The ball crashed off the crossbar and into the net, doubling Ferencvaros' lead. The Greens appeared to be cruising towards victory, adding a third goal just before halftime. Romdhane scored again, this time heading into the bottom-left corner from a delightful floated cross by Mohammad Abu Fani.

After the break, Ferencvaros adopted a more defensive approach, content to protect their three-goal advantage. The Hungarian champions ceded possession to AZ, but their defense held firm, limiting the visitors to no shots in the opening 25 minutes of the half.

AZ finally managed to pull a goal back with 14 minutes remaining, courtesy of a stunning ball from Kees Smit to Sven Mijnans. The latter rifled a first-time effort into the top-left corner, giving AZ a glimmer of hope. However, this hope was short-lived, as Ferencvaros were awarded a penalty just six minutes later. Seiya Maikuma's handball in the penalty area proved costly, and Barnabas Varga stepped up to take the spot-kick. The striker kept his cool, slotting the penalty into the center of the goal.

The 2024/25 #UEL league phase ✅ pic.twitter.com/BGnoQwzie1

— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) January 30, 2025

Despite the setback, AZ continued to push forward, and they managed to score a late consolation goal in the 90th minute through Troy Parrott. The Irish forward bent a lovely right-footed finish inside the right post. AZ then struck again in the 95th minute, with Mijnans scoring his second goal of the game. The young midfielder fired home from the center of the box into the bottom-right corner. Nevertheless, Ferencvaros held on to secure a thrilling 4-3 victory, booking their place in the round of 16 play-offs. AZ also advanced to the play-offs despite their defeat, having now gone three away games without a win (D2, L1).