Teun Koopmeiners Fires Juventus Past AZ Alkmaar in Europa League Sibling Showdown

Key Takeaways:

• Juventus secured a 2-1 victory over AZ Alkmaar last night in the UEFA Europa League, with Teun Koopmeiners scoring against his former club
• AZ Alkmaar’s 17-match unbeaten home run in European competition ended with this defeat
• Randal Kolo Muani scored and assisting in the decisive win

Match Analysis

Juventus edged out AZ Alkmaar 2-1 in the UEFA Europa League, as Teun Koopmeiners found the net against the club where he spent 12 years as a youth and young professional, facing his brother Peer. The contest began with Juventus fashioning the first significant chance through Newcastle United loanee Nick Woltemade, who played Randal Kolo Muani in behind, only for the French forward to fire marginally wide of the target.

FT |⌛️| Vittoria in trasferta in Olanda ⚪️⚫️

#AZJuve #UEL https://t.co/YYO0Uc698r

— JuventusFC (@juventusfc) November 5, 2026

Despite a cagey opening period with few openings, the deadlock was broken in the 19th minute. Koopmeiners, facing his boyhood club, delivered the opener and opted not to celebrate, out of respect for his time with AZ. Juventus almost doubled their advantage through Kerim Alajbegovic, who sent a fierce drive narrowly over from the edge of the area.

AZ Alkmaar gradually found their footing, coming close via Mees de Wit’s wicked cross, while Guglielmo Vicario was called into action to keep out a deflected effort following an attempt by fellow Tottenham Hotspur loanee Pape Matar Sarr. However, as AZ pushed for an equaliser, Kolo Muani pressed their defence into an error and exchanged passes with Woltemade before coolly slotting Juventus’ second of the night.

Koopmeiners Brothers in the Spotlight

Peer Koopmeiners nearly pulled one back before the interval, glancing a header just wide despite close attention from defenders. Entering half-time, AZ trailed the visitors by two goals, with the elder Koopmeiners proving pivotal for Juventus.

AZ’s efforts to mount a second-half comeback were tested as Alajbegovic almost extended Juventus’ lead, but Jari De Busser, having initially presented the ball, recovered swiftly to deny a third goal. Juventus maintained the intensity, as a critical intervention from substitute Wesley Hoedt kept AZ in contention.

Late Push and Historical Streaks Broken

Leeroy Echteld’s side struggled to find incisiveness in attack for much of the second half, with Kees Smit missing a notable opportunity by shooting over the bar. Hope returned for the home side in the 88th minute, when Mexx Meerdink tucked home Elijah Dijkstra’s measured cutback. AZ then appeared to have equalised dramatically in stoppage time, but their celebrations were cut short by an offside ruling in the build-up.

This result ends a remarkable 17-match unbeaten streak for AZ Alkmaar at home in European fixtures (W14, D3), and marks their first defeat to Italian opposition in six meetings (W4, D1). Juventus, meanwhile, have netted at least twice in nine of their last eleven European games, reinforcing their position in the top eight within the league phase standings.

Key Match Statistics