Koopmeiners and Kolo Muani Secure Win Before Late Defensive Collapse
Juventus earned back-to-back UEFA Europa League victories on Thursday evening, holding on for a 2-1 win over AZ Alkmaar at the AZ Stadion despite late structural lapses that nearly erased a dominant first-half display. First-half strikes from Teun Koopmeiners and Randal Kolo Muani established a secure platform, but an 88th-minute goal from Mexx Meerdink created a chaotic final sequence that threatened the result. The outcome secures vital points in the 2026/27 League Phase fixture list, though late defensive instability dominated post-match events.
Defensive Line Retreat Drops Intensity in Alkmaar
The Italian side controlled long stretches of the opening period, effectively neutralizing AZ Alkmaar’s buildup play and building a two-goal advantage before the interval. Koopmeiners opened the scoring by finishing off a primary attack, before Kolo Muani doubled the advantage with a clinical finish inside the penalty box. Juventus retained structural control for the majority of proceedings, restricting the host side to sparse opportunities through the middle third.
Juventus
clubThe tactical rhythm altered sharply during the final ten minutes as the defensive line dropped deeper into its own half rather than maintaining proactive pressure. AZ Alkmaar seized on the territorial concession, exploiting the space between the midfield double-pivot and the back four. The persistent pressure paid off in the 88th minute when Meerdink capitalized on a through ball into the penalty box, slipping his shot past the goalkeeper to reduce the deficit and force Juventus into deep emergency defending across stoppage time.
Luciano Spalletti Rebukes Juan Cabal on Touchline
The tense conclusion triggered immediate touchline volatility directly after the final whistle. Juventus head coach Luciano Spalletti squared up face-to-face with full-back Juan Cabal on the field, shouting “I’ll punch you” as frustration over the late defensive retreat boiled over in full view of the venue cameras.
Luciano Spalletti
coach“I am very satisfied, because we played well against a very strong team. I remember when all of you laughed in my face when we beat NEC 5-0, you acted as if they were a ridiculous team, but NEC now have seven points in the Europa League. So perhaps people need to re-evaluate how they consider us, humility, and giving credit to a team without just constantly wanting to put pressure on. When we win a game, people act as if it was because the opponents were weak, or finding some excuses. We played a strong game against a great team tonight, and as we saw the moment our intensity dropped, they will take advantage. We’ve seen in the Champions League, Europa League, these sides might have a predictable way of doing things, but it becomes a strength when they can do it that many times. It is constantly hammering away at those situations, we were pinned back, worried about whether or not to push out from defence, and a through ball caused a goal. There were mad scrambles, if the game lasted for another three or four minutes, I don’t think we would’ve taken the result home.”
The victory elevates Juventus to consecutive wins in Matchday 4 of the Europa League campaign, with their next fixture scheduled as the tournament phase continues into late November 2026.