Dominant AZ win Dutch Cup with one-sided victory

SportsDominant AZ win Dutch Cup with one-sided victoryBy Reuters -Apr 20, 2026AZ Alkmaar delivered a dominant performance to win the Dutch Cup final on Sunday, hammering NEC ​Nijmegen 5-1 at the Feyenoord Stadium in ‌Rotterdam. AZ took a deserved lead after 32 minutes as left back Mees de Wit netted from close range after a ​mazy run to the byline from left wing ​Ro-Zangelo Daal. NEC pulled one back ​in the 78th minute through Japanese striker Koki Ogawa. Mijnans had the ball in the net again five minutes from time ​but it was ruled out for offside in ​the build-up, but at the start of stoppage time, newly capped ‌Dutch ⁠international Kees Smit chipped NEC goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen to make it 4-1. There was still time for one more from Ireland international Troy Parrott five minutes into ​stoppage time, with ​his close-range ⁠shot taking a wicked deflection. It was AZ’s fifth Dutch Cup final victory but ​first in 13 years, while NEC have ​now ⁠lost all six finals they have appeared in. Cup success means AZ qualify for the league phase of next ⁠season’s ​Europa League. They were eliminated ​last Thursday in the Conference League quarter-final by Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk.