AZ hold Anzhi to progress to last eight |

Thursday 20th March 2014

ANZHI MAKHACHKALA 0-0 AZ ALKMAAR

AZ win 1-0 on aggregate

AZ Alkmaar are in the hat for Friday’s Europa League quarter-final draw after a stalemate in Moscow tonight. Dick Advocaat’s men 1-0 win last week at the AFAS Stadion was enough to send the Dutch side through to last eight.

The Russians produced plenty of clever play but were unable to provide a goal and failed to get a shot on target throughout the ninety minutes. Advocaat obviously instructed his AZ side to protect their 1-0 lead from the first leg as they were happy to sit back and defend.

As Anzhi pressed, AZ grew in stature as the first-half progressed and might have gone in front just before the break when a Nemanja Gudelj free-kick smashed against a post. The in-form Steven Berghuis went close soon after the interval, with Aron Jóhannsson then calling goalkeeper Mikhail Kerzhakov into action.

Anzhi started to fade as the clock ticked down, but they nearly scored an unlikely leveller when Oleksandr Aliyev whistled a 25-metre free-kick narrowly wide.

Anzhi’s night ended on a sour note as Berghuis broke through on goal and with the goal at his mercy, Karlen Mkrtchyan had to commit the foul. As he was the last man he received a straight red.

AZ go into the draw with European giants like Juventus, FC Porto and Benfica but will hope to draw avoid those three to give themselves a great chance of progressing to the semis.

TEAMS

ANZHI: Kerzhakov, Grigalava, Epureanu, Gadzhibekov, Sobolev (Serderov 71), Agalarov (Abdulavov 85), Mkrtchyan, Aliyev, Burmistrov (Eschenko 68), Smolov, Bukharov.

SUBS NOT USED: Pomazan, Dzhenetov, Angbwa.

GOALS: None.

BOOKINGS: Griglava 43, Sobelev 69, Agalarov 81, Aliyev 85.

SENT OFF: Mkrtchyan 90+3.

AZ: Esteban, Johansson, Reijnen, Wuytens, Viergever, Poulsen, Gudelj, Berghuis, Elm; Jóhannsson, Beerens.

SUBS NOT USED: De Winter, Hoedt, Gorter, Ortiz, Henriksen, Gudmundsson, Avdic.

GOALS: None.

BOOKINGS: Wuytens 62.