Enzo Le Fée's Masterclass Leads to Victory Over AZ

Enzo Le Fée turned a nightmare start into a match-winning masterclass as his side edged past AZ, with Robin Roefs and a rock-solid back line dragging them over the line on a tense European night.

This wasn’t a game of control. It was a game of moments. And the home side’s big players delivered when it mattered most.

Roefs stands tall as AZ threaten

AZ carved out some of the clearest openings of the night, but every time they thought they had broken through, they met Roefs.

He produced a crucial early stop with his foot in a one-on-one, standing up brilliantly when AZ slipped in behind. Late on, with bodies flying everywhere in the six-yard box, he hurled himself at the loose ball to smother what looked like an inevitable equaliser. Two huge interventions, both at critical times. An 8/10 performance that underpinned the win.

In front of him, Nordi Mukiele and Kevin Danso set the tone. Mukiele patrolled the right flank relentlessly, surging forward in the first half and unsettling AZ with his aggression. He almost capped it with a goal, glancing a good header just wide after the break.

Danso was immense. He read the game superbly, stepping in with blocks and clearances around the box whenever AZ threatened to turn pressure into shots. He nearly scored twice himself – first when he diverted a header from a wayward Granit Xhaka effort just wide, then when he stung the goalkeeper’s hands with a driven effort from distance. An authoritative 8/10 display.

Omar Alderete started strongly, snapping into tackles and evading AZ’s press with composure, but his night ended early as an apparent first-half injury forced him off. Reinildo, pinned back for long spells by AZ’s overloads, rarely ventured forward but defended his channel with discipline and bite. Both full-backs understood the assignment: survive, then reset.

Xhaka and Sadiki fight the midfield battle

For 45 minutes, Xhaka ran the show. Sitting deep, he dictated the tempo and repeatedly dropped balls over AZ’s press, turning defence into attack with one swing of his left foot. After the break, the picture changed. AZ pushed up, moved the ball quicker, and began to play around him. His influence dipped, but his first-half control still earned him a solid 7/10.

Alongside him, Noah Sadiki had one of those dirty, thankless jobs that win matches. AZ’s rotation and movement dragged him all over the pitch, but he kept covering ground, snapping into duels, and stealing possession back. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was vital.

Trai Hume’s night was more uneven. He found space for a lovely curling effort that drifted just wide in the first half, then burst into life again after the interval with two rapid chances – one low strike blocked by the keeper’s legs, then a header over from the resulting corner. Outside those flashes, he drifted out of the game.

Malick Fofana had a similar frustration. When he got on the ball, he looked tidy and confident, but too often he received it in crowded, deep areas where the damage he could do was limited. The intent was there; the impact wasn’t.

Le Fée’s redemption arc

Then there was Enzo Le Fée.

His evening almost collapsed before it began. A sloppy early pass handed AZ a golden chance on a plate. Only Roefs’ sharp reactions spared him from being the villain.

From that moment, he flipped the script.

Le Fée became the creative heartbeat, constantly finding pockets and threading passes that tore at AZ’s back line. He smacked the post after a clever run onto a Wilson Isidor cut-back, then burst in behind again from a Mukiele ball and forced another save. His vision was relentless: a beautifully weighted lofted pass for Brian Brobbey, another for Isidor, both begging to be finished.

The pressure finally told in the box. Le Fée drew the foul, took responsibility, and buried the penalty. Calm, decisive, and fully deserved. He kept creating until the final whistle, crafting chance after chance for others while threatening himself from open play. A 9/10 and clear Man of the Match.

Isidor’s graft, bench impact, and late misses

Isidor’s numbers won’t show a goal, but his work without the ball and his movement in the channels were crucial. He ran the line tirelessly, linked neatly with Le Fée, and spun in behind to set up that shot against the post. When Le Fée flicked him in for one of the game’s better openings, he lashed his effort wide – the one major blot on an otherwise strong outing.

From the bench, Dan Ballard slotted in seamlessly for the injured Alderete. He attacked every loose ball around the box, blocking and clearing with conviction to help see the game out. Thomas Meunier offered reliability in two roles, first replacing Hume and then dropping to right-back when Danso departed, steady in both assignments.

Nilson Angulo injected energy down the left, driving at defenders and looking to make things happen. His decision-making wavered, though, and his big moment in stoppage time – a rebound that begged to be finished – went begging.

Brobbey arrived late but still found chances. A sharp one-two with Le Fée around the area was snuffed out by a last-ditch defender, who turned the ball behind for a corner. Then came the break from halfway, Brobbey thundering towards goal with the net in his sights. Just when everyone expected the shot, he squared it across the six-yard box instead, the opportunity slipping away.

Teenager Chris Rigg brought bite and intelligence in the closing stages. He snapped at AZ’s heels, nicked the ball back, and immediately looked forward, sliding clever passes into Brobbey to relieve pressure and turn defence into attack.

The verdict

On a night where AZ repeatedly threatened to spoil the script, the home side leaned on resilience, big saves, and one playmaker who refused to let an early mistake define him.

Roefs kept them alive. Danso and Mukiele kept them organised. Le Fée won it.

If this is the standard they can reach under pressure, the real question is simple: how far can they push it when the stakes rise again?