Martens skipped past one defender, then another. The crowd rose in anticipation. He slid a pass toward Altidore—
Chris: [Altidore! Can he turn?]
Altidore held off his marker, shifted the ball onto his right foot, and struck—
Blocked.
Again.
Rob: [Den Haag are throwing bodies in front of everything! AZ Alkmaar just can't find a way through!]
The ball ricocheted off a defender's shin and rolled toward Henriksen, who reacted quickly, hitting it first-time—
Over the bar.
A collective groan rippled through the stadium. Henriksen buried his face in his hands before jogging back into position.
Chris: [You can feel the frustration now. AZ Alkmaar have had all the ball, all the pressure, but still no breakthrough.]
Gertjan Verbeek had seen enough. He turned to the bench, waving for the changes.
The fourth official raised the substitution board. Victor Elm, Beerens and Gudmundsson off. Adam Maher, Berghuis and Jóhannsson on.
