By Melody Gross 
AZ Alkmaar went to Rome to surprise and defeat Lazio, with a 1-2 comeback, in the first leg of the Round of 16 of the Conference League. With Portugal still trying to reach the sixth spot in the UEFA rankings, the victory of the Dutch was not good news.
The start was good, as Pedro finished a move from Zakani on the left, but AZ Alkmaar responded well, approached Luis Maximiano’s goal and reached the equalizer even before the break, in a move in which Laciali was soft defensively, allowing Carlson to enter the area on the left and serve Pavlidis, who veered a class to near center.
In the second half, the Dutch gave the Italians more initiative, but this did not stop them from attacking. They were happy as the clock ticked, when young Milos Kerkez stepped forward, won the ball, along with Carlson and finished under the Portuguese’s feet.
Sarri tried to persuade his team to respond and some chances were created, although not as many as one might expect. Well deserved from AZ who leaves the Italian capital with a huge advantage for the second leg, next week.