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AZ Alkmaar make UEFA Youth League breakthrough

AZ Alkmaar made a spectacular run to the 2022/23 title in a final four that had a far from familiar look.

AZ took the trophy in Geneva
AZ took the trophy in Geneva UEFA via Sportsfile

Much was different by the time the UEFA Youth League made it to the traditional four-team finals in 2022/23.

None of the semi-finalists – AZ Alkmaar, Hajduk Split, AC Milan or Sporting CP – had previously got to that stage. AZ and Hajduk both came through the domestic champions path, which never before had been the case for more than one team in the same season.

In fact, AZ and Hajduk were to meet in the final, their nations' debuts at that stage. Hajduk's huge support had meant a move for the finals from their regular home at Nyon's Colovray Stadium to the larger Stade de Genève in nearby Geneva, but it was AZ who celebrated their club's first major European honour with a 5-0 win.

Final highlights: AZ Alkmaar 5-0 Hajduk Split

Some stars of the early stages were to miss out on the finals. Bilal Mazhar's five goals for Panathinaikos against Slavia Sofia equalled the record for the most in a single Youth League game while Adrian Niño of Atlético became the first player to score in all six group games and set a new mark of scoring in seven consecutive matches, including the round of 16.

He, and Atlético, were shut out in a 2-0 quarter-final defeat by Milan while Real Madrid fell 4-0 at AZ, who had already won 3-0 away to Barcelona in the round of 16. Sporting pipped Liverpool 1-0 while Hajduk, with big backing in a 16,000 crowd at Borussia Dortmund, pipped their hosts 9-8 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

That made them Croatia's first UEFA football club semi-finalists since Hajduk's seniors in the 1983/84 UEFA Cup, and they were to be their nation's maiden club finalists in a major European competition as they saw off Milan 3-1 in the semis. AZ had earlier beaten Sporting 4-3 on penalties following a pulsating 2-2 draw in the 90 minutes.

Semi-final highlights: Hajduk Split 3-1 Milan

In that match AZ were captained by Walter Goes, an unused substitute the day before in the senior side's UEFA Europa League quarter-final defeat of Anderlecht. Mexx Meerdink scored the winning shoot-out penalty against Anderlecht and then played on the Sunday in the Eredivisie; despite going off injured, he flew to Geneva to feature in the decider the next evening.

It could not have gone much better for AZ, who led 1-0 at half-time through a 45th-minute Jayden Addai penalty. Meerdink was introduced after the break, and after helping make the second of Ernest Poku's two goals on 70 and 76 minutes, then scored twice himself.

That drew Meerdink level with Mazhar as top scorer on nine goals as the first Dutch winners became the seventh different champions in the competition's nine editions.