Vitesse scored twice inside the last 20 minutes to secure a 3-1 win over AZ in the Eredivisie this evening.
The home side were ahead just seven minutes into the tie when Bertrand Traore picked up the ball from a poor Wesley Hoedt clearance to tap the ball into the bottom corner.
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Alkmaar were back on level terms just a minute later though as Simon Poulsen unleashed a long-range strike, which Eloy Room managed to parry away, only for Steven Berghuis to lash in the rebound.
The visitors came close to taking the lead shortly before the break as Muamer Tankovic crossed the ball in for Aron Johannsson, but the striker's finish was blocked.
After a quiet start to the second half, the home side had the chance to retake the lead when Marko Vejinovic was pulled back while charging into the box, giving Vitesse a spot kick.
The winger stepped up to take it himself, sending Esteban Alvarado the wrong way to restore his side's lead.
Traore could have scored his second of the night late on to put the result beyond doubt, but Zakaria Labyad's cross in for the striker was blocked, while Denys Oliynyk could not reach the rebound.
However, Vitesse did manage to add a third in the closing stages when Valeri Kazaishvili found the back of the net in stoppage time.
The result moves Vitesse up to sixth in the table, while AZ remain fourth.
Sian Cowper
