Dominant AZ win Dutch Cup with one-sided victory
- By Reuters -
- Apr 20, 2026
AZ 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.