adminAZ Alkmaar boss Leeroy Echteld has praised the incredible atmosphere inside the Stadium of Light after his side suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Sunderland in their Europa League opener.
Sunderland began their European campaign with a hard-fought victory on Wednesday night, with Enzo Le Fée’s penalty ultimately deciding an entertaining contest between the two sides.
Despite leaving England without a point, Echteld was impressed by the environment created by the Sunderland supporters, describing the atmosphere inside the Stadium of Light as “beautiful” and praising the way the home crowd continued to push their team throughout the match.
Speaking after the game, the AZ Alkmaar boss admitted that playing in front of such a passionate crowd was a valuable experience for his young squad.
“Fantastic – if you look at this stadium and the people, how they cheer their team, it is beautiful I think,” Echteld said.
“The whole match they try to help the team and for us it is a very good experience to play in this kind of circumstances.”
Echteld was also proud of the way his players handled the pressure, particularly given the age of his squad and the experience available within Sunderland’s team.
AZ Alkmaar created opportunities and were particularly dangerous in the second half, but their failure to convert those chances ultimately cost them a result.
“We are a very young team but they can play against a very mature team like Sunderland with good players and a lot of support of the crowd,” Echteld added.
“That makes me most proud, that we can show that we can play.”
The Dutch side felt they had enough opportunities to get something from the match and believed the penalty was a major turning point.
Echteld suggested that without conceding from the spot, AZ Alkmaar could have gone on to win the game.
“I think if we don’t concede the penalty, we have a big chance to win this game,” he explained.
The manager also expressed frustration with his players’ finishing, insisting that their overall performance deserved at least one goal.
“We are disappointed with our finishing because we deserve, I think, and have to score one goal at least.”
For Sunderland, however, the result provided a memorable start to their Europa League campaign. The home supporters played their part throughout the evening, while Le Fée’s composed penalty gave Régis Le Bris’ side the breakthrough they needed.
Echteld’s comments underline just how difficult the Stadium of Light can be for visiting teams, with the Sunderland crowd creating an atmosphere that even the opposition manager singled out for praise.
Although AZ Alkmaar return to the Netherlands empty-handed, their manager believes the performance showed that his young squad can compete against experienced opposition, even in one of the most demanding atmospheres they are likely to encounter in European football.
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