THAT WILL DO IT! Heartbreak at the death for AZ, who are completely caught out at the back as Lyon break with numbers. Fekir leads the charge before substitute Ferri eventually slots home the fourth Lyon goal.
90' +4
WIDE! Garcia gets on the end of a lovely cross in from the right, and beats his marker in the air, but sends his header crashing into the side netting! That might just have been their last chance...
90' +2
NOT QUITE! Luckassen lifts a lovely, diagonal ball over the top for Ben Hassani, but the winger just can't get on the end of it! Pressure stays on and Jahanbakhsh goes down in the area, with a real claim for a spot-kick, but it isn't given!
90'
There will be five minutes added on at the end of this match.
88'
AZ refuse to give up hope. Friday continues to prove a nightmare for these Lyon defenders with his incessant running. The substitute is working his tail off to find a goal and he's getting closer, though successive corners are eventually dealt with by the visitors.
86'
KRUL SAVES! Friday sends an effort wide at one end, and Lyon break quickly looking to put the tie to bed. Fekir gets into a good position for a shot, but Krul denies his effort from 15 yards, before AZ scramble clear, rather unconvincingly.
84'
H. Aouar enters the game and replaces Darder.
Lyon's final change sees Houssem Aouar replace Sergi Darder.
82'
Garcia and Friday have provided a nice spark off the bench for AZ, and they look to be a couple of the few players remaining still with fresh legs. They just might have the engine needed to rescue a bit of hope for AZ in these dying stages.
80'
STAT: Lyon have lost just twice in 10 previous matches against Dutch opposition (W4, D4, L2).
Minute
Description
78'
Lyon enjoy a decent spell in possession here, with fatigue apparently setting in for AZ. The hosts have pressed and pressed all night, impressively at that, but they've got little to show for all their hard work.
76'
JUST WIDE! Important deflection there as Fekir's strike is redirected just wide of the far post. AZ can hardly afford to concede another, but they don't have much choice but to commit men forward, which is leaving them exposed in defence.
74'
J. van Overeem enters the game and replaces M. Seuntjens.
A final roll of the dice for the hosts as Joris van Overeem replaces Seuntjens.
72'
A bit of belief again being shown here from AZ, who are dictating possession as they search for a second. A 3-2 home defeat, while far from ideal, would at least give them some hope heading into the second leg.
70'
STAT: AZ have not lost in three previous matches against French opposition (W2, D1).
68'
Penalty goal scored by A. Jahanbakhsh for AZ!
AZ HAVE A LIFELINE! Jahanabakhsh sends Lopes the wrong way from the penalty spot after substitute Garcia was brought down lazily by Mammana in the area!
67'
J. Ferri enters the game and replaces L. Tousart.
Jordan Ferri is also brought on by the visitors, replacing the other scorer, Tousart.
66'
A. Jahanbakhsh gets yellow.
M. Cornet enters the game and replaces A. Lacazette.
Maxwell Cornet enters the fray as Lyon make their first switch, replacing Lacazette.
Jahanabakhsh is the first player booked on the night.
65'
L. García enters the game and replaces M. Tankovic.
F. Friday enters the game and replaces W. Weghorst.
Double change from AZ here, the first of which sees Levi Garcia replace Tankovic.
The other change sees striker Fred Friday replace Weghorst.
63'
THEY CAN'T BUY A GOAL! Weghorst looks to the heavens in disbelief as he's denied not once, but twice by Lopes here following a delicious setup from Jahanbakhsh!
61'
Even AZ are appearing a bit deflated now. With the score at 2-0 they still held belief that they could get back into the tie, and you couldn't blame them for that based on how they had played up to that point - but a third Lyon goal has seen them into a huge hole.
59'
This stadium has fallen dead silent now, with AZ heading toward an early exit from the knockout stage, barring a dramatic turnaround. They really do deserve better for their performance tonight, but once again a missed chance at one end leads to a goal at the other.
57'
A. Lacazette has scored a goal for Lyon! Assist by L. Tousart.
Tousart's throughball sees him pick up assist to go along with his goal.
GAME, SET AND MATCH! That's absolutely stunning from Lacazette! The Lyon striker shows incredible pace and power to get on the end of Tousart's throughball and round Krul yet again, before tucking in a finish from the tightest of angles! It's a piece of magic from the striker!
55'
Can he survive another scare? Lopes has been left battered and bruised for a third time tonight, colliding hard with his post after diving across to try and stop Ben Hassani's effort. It was a nasty collision and certainly looked a painful one for the keeper, who is still down here receiving treatment.
53'
HE HAD TO SCORE IT! Ben Hassani buries his head in his hands as he skies an effort from 10 yards after a perfect pull-back from Haps to tee him up! AZ are knocking on the door once again...
51'
STAT: Lyon have conceded just three goals in their last seven matches in European competition.
49'
Lyon should expect an all-out push from AZ in this second half to at least get something to take back with them to France. That should make for a wide-open match with some excellent tempo to it, much like we witnessed over the first 45 minutes.
47'
INCHES WIDE! It barely took a minute for AZ to nearly produce the response they so desperately crave! Ben Hassani does expertly to play in Weghorst, but the striker drags his effort wide of the far post, with Lopes beaten! Another nearly moment for the hosts!
46'
AZ get the second half underway, with plenty of work to be done.
45' +3
HALF-TIME: AZ 0-2 LYON.
45' +2
A. Lacazette has scored a goal for Lyon! Assist by C. Tolisso.
ONE FOOT THROUGH! Lyon take a big step towards the knockout stage as Lacazette, who has been invisible in this first half, is played through by Tolisso, before rounding Krul clinically and producing a composed finish to double Lyon's lead!
Delightful throughball from Tolisso who picks up the assist.
45' +1
The corner is delivered in deep, which sends Lopes into a collision with Luckassen at the far post. It's an awkward landing for the keeper, who grimaces as he clutches his neck. It's been a rough half for him.
45'
The board goes up to indicate three minutes of stoppage-time at the end of this first half, as AZ win a corner.
44'
Approaching the interval now and the tempo has slowed a bit. Lyon have been unable to string more than a few passes together, but they're doing well to at least congest the midfield third and make AZ work harder to advance the ball in possession.
42'
Lyon have created precious little outside of their goal, which will not make Bruno Genesio very happy, but he can't have too many complaints as long as this scoreline stays as is. That being said, they're spending a lot of time in defence and it feels as though AZ will find their equaliser in a matter of time should this continue.
40'
NEARLY THERE! Ben Hassani takes and his driven strike deflects of Darder, wrong-footing Lopes, but it drifts agonisingly wide of the near post and behind for a corner!
39'
They have to make it count! Great link-up play between Seuntjens and Ben Hassani after AZ win the ball back high up the pitch, before the latter wins another free-kick in a great area for a shot. Anticipation building here...
37'
Van Eijden has come out worse for wear following a coming together in midfield and the AZ centre-half requires a bit of treatment. After a minute or so on the pitch he's back to his feet, insisting he's fine to continue despite a substitute being readied. It looks as though he's won this debate and will be allowed to carry on.
35'
STUNNING STRIKE! A half-volley out of the top drawer from Jahanbakhsh, who unloads a dipping effort from 25 yards, but the quality of the strike is bettered only by the save from Lopes, who dives across brilliantly to get a strong hand to it! That looked an equaliser the whole way!
34'
Successive corners for AZ keep the pressure concentrated on the Lyon goal, but the quality of the deliveries needs improving. Still, this should serve as plenty of encouragement for the hosts.
32'
Diakhaby concedes a free-kick in a dangerous position on the left flank, a few yards outside the area, near the byline. AZ cram bodies in the centre in anticipation of a delivery, but this time Lopes is much more convincing with his clearance as he sends it a long way to safety.
30'
AZ are back in possession and the onus has been placed on them to take control of the game. They can ill-afford to head back to France trailing on aggregate, so we should see them adopt plenty of urgency as they search for a way back into the tie over the next hour.
28'
AZ have nothing to show for their early dominance and now they find themselves in a bit of a hole. They squandered a few chances as pressure failed to pay off, now they're staring at an aggregate deficit, having conceded that vital away goal.
26'
L. Tousart has scored a goal for Lyon! Assist by N. Fekir.
ADVANTAGE LYON! The Ligue 1 outfit have their away goal! The corner is flicked on by Fekir to the far post where Tousart is waiting, unmarked, to tuck home a simple finish! Poor defending from the hosts who have been punished dearly!
Fekir provides the assist.
25'
Smart goalkeeping! Great anticipation from the veteran Krul, who charges off his line and just manages to get his fingertips to the ball to send it behind for a corner, with Fekir giving chase. If he got that wrong, it had penalty written all over it.
23'
Lopes pops back to his feet and jogs around his area, rather gingerly, before a chorus of boos rain down from the home supporters. He looks like he should be fine to continue here, but there is a look of pain on his face as he trots around.
21'
Lyon have a real problem now as Lopes, who has not looked at all decisive in commanding his area, is down with a knock. He's been labouring a bit over the last few minutes and perhaps this is why. It's not entirely clear when he picked up the knock, but something is off.
19'
SO CLOSE! Ruthless and determined attacking play from the hosts! Luckassen flashes an inviting delivery across the face of goal which Lopes only partially parries. Weghorst chases down the loose ball and heads it back across into the danger area, but Jallet is on hand to quickly hook it away to safety!
17'
There's a lovely tempo to this match as we approach the 20-minute mark. Both sides are keen to get the ball forward quickly when they win it back, which in turn has resulted in very few spells with the ball contained in midfield. There's little congestion and plenty of space for these teams to operate in.
15'
Good pressure from the AZ attacking trio as they press high up the pitch, giving Lyon plenty of problems as they try and pass their way out from the back. Striker Wout Weghorst concedes a free-kick with some aggressive play and he has to be careful, that's the second time he's reacted poorly to a refereeing decision, and is a bit lucky not to be booked.
13'
AWKWARD SAVE! AZ crank up the pressure and Lyon don't have an answer! Ben Hassani tries his luck from 15 yards, curling an effort struck with real venom, that Lopes can only parry, before being scrambled behind for another corner.
11'
Momentum has switched over completely from the first five minutes, as AZ continue in the ascendency. The hosts are full of life as they push the tempo in search of an opener, with the full backing of these spirited supporters behind them.
9'
NERVY MOMENTS! AZ fan favourite Jahanbakhsh produces a stunning nutmeg of Gonalons to put the Lyon defence under pressure and win a corner. The ensuing delivery proves problematic for Lopes, who struggled to collect. Panic ensues, but the keeper is eventually able to get the ball under wraps.
7'
Better, here, from AZ. Ben Hassani's clever switch of play pressures Jallet into putting the ball out for a throw, which leads to a spell of concentrated pressure from the hosts, though they're unable to penetrate the Lyon defence when all is said and done.
5'
Lyon are comfortable in possession as they play keep-away from the hosts in the opening stages. A tidy move down the right flank sees them win the game's first corner, which Tim Krul cannot get to, but he's relieved to see Diakhaby's header crash onto the roof of the net.
3'
These AZ supporters are living up to the Dutch hype early on, generating a rousing atmosphere from the start. That being said, it's Lyon who enjoy the bulk of possession early on, though they have yet to trouble the AZ backline.
1'
AND THEY'RE OFF! Lyon attacking right to left in their black away strip as they get us underway, with AZ in red and white.
Hello and welcome to live coverage from the AFAS Stadium in Alkmaar as AZ host Lyon in the first leg of their Europa League round-of-32 tie!
AZ and Lyon are in near-identical predicaments domestically, each sitting in a distant fourth place in their respective leagues, 14 and 13 points back of third. With the likelihood of a top-three finish fading fast, these sides have the luxury of focusing their efforts on making a deep run in the competition.
John van den Brom’s AZ rescued a place in the knockout stage by winning each of their last two group matches in impressive fashion, securing second spot behind runaway leaders Zenit. Their last appearance in the Europa League knockout stage resulted in an eventual quarter-final berth.
Lyon reached this stage via the Champions League route, finishing third in their group behind Juventus and Sevilla. Much like AZ, their last appearance in the Europa League knockout stage also came in 2014, where they too were ousted in the quarter-final.
The parallels between the two sides set the scene for what promises to be a delectable round-of-32 tie between a pair of sides who play attractive, attack-minded football. Goals should not be in short supply over the two legs in the Netherlands and France.
AZ (4-3-3): Krul; Luckassen, van Eijden, Wuytens, Haps; Seuntjens, Jahanbakhsh, Rienstra; Bel Hassani, Tankovic, Weghorst.
SUBS: Rochet, van Overeem, Hatzidiakos, Dos Santos, Ouwejan, Friday, Garcia.
John van den Brom makes two changes from the 2-1 victory at Heerenveen on the weekend, both coming in defence, as Derrick Luckassen and Stijn Wuytens come into the side at the expense of Mattias Johansson and Pantelis Hatzidiakos.
Following their defeat to Guingamp on Saturday, Bruno Genesio makes four changes to his side for tonight's contest. Emanuel Mammana and Maciej Rybus are brought into defence, with Corentin Tolisso slotting out wide and Sergi Darder restored as the number 10. Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, Jeremy Morel, Rachid Ghezzal and Maxwel Cornet give way.
Two shots, two goals for Lyon, who have a foot through to the next round following away goals from Lucas Tousart and Alexandre Lacazette. AZ were far and ahead the more threatening side through 45 minutes, but the quality of the visitors shines through as they have a commanding, yet thoroughly undeserved, lead.
Lucas Tousart opened the scoring for Lyon, before two Alexandre Lacazette goals on either side of half-time, both against the run of play, put the visitors into a commanding lead. AZ pulled one back, the least they deserved, from the penalty spot, but it was not their night in the end as Jordan Ferri added another at the death, leaving AZ with a mountain to climb in advance of the second leg in France.
That's all for our live coverage, thanks for following along. Goodbye!
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