AZ and Vitesse through to Dutch Cup Final

AZ set up a Dutch Cup final clash with Vitesse after beating SC Cambuur in penalty shoot-out in Alkmaar on Thursday.

After 90 goalless minutes of regular playing time in which both Eredivisie side AZ and second division team SC Cambuur both failed to convert chances to goals. Stijn Wuytens seemed to have headed the home team to the victory in the final minute. However, the video-referee, debuting in the Dutch Cup this season, decided differently.

From the video-center in Hilversum the video-referee had seen a preceding foul by Levi Garcia on Cambuur goalkeeper Leonard Nienhuis after which he informed referee Kevin Blom to cancel the goal. To the astonishment of AZ players who were already celebrating, and to the excitement of Cambuur, the match continued with extra time.

In the extra time AZ had to continue with ten men as defender Rens van Eijden received his marching order for a foul on Sander van de Streek. AZ had some chances, but Nienhuis miraculously kept his clean sheet to make a penalty shoot-out necessary.

In the shoot-out AZ missed two of their five attempts, but Cambuur missed three times. AZ goalkeeper Tim Krul saved Martijn Barto's decisive penalty to end the match and give AZ a final berth.

On Tuesday Lewis Baker led Vitesse to a 2-1 victory at Sparta. The Englishman opened the scoring with a left-footed shot in the 13th minute and added another goal in the 73rd minute with his right foot. Although their defender Guram Kashia produced an own goal, Vitesse managed to secure the win and a place in the final.

Vitesse are hoping to make history in the final on April 30 in Rotterdam. The Arnhem based club made it to the final three times before in history, in 1912, 1927 and 1990, but failed to win on all occasions. AZ won the Dutch Cup four times, in 1978, 1981, 1982 and 2013, and lost one final in 2007. Endit