While Lazio are still firmly in the mix for a top-four Serie A finish, they also have a burning desire to snatch the UEFA Europa Conference League trophy from eternal enemies Roma.
In turn, the Biancocelesti immediately asserted their dominance, putting AZ’s defence under immense pressure and eventually breaking through on 18 minutes.
After some fine approach-play from Mattia Zaccagni down the left wing, the Italian fired the ball into the box, where an onrushing Pedro clipped the ball into the back of the net with a deft first-time finish.
The Italian side kept control over proceedings from there, but an uncharacteristic lapse in defence just before the break allowed their visitors back into the tie.
Released down the left, Jesper Karlsson squared to Vangelis Pavlidis for an easy tap-in, though Sergej Milinkovic-Savic almost restored Lazio’s lead in the first half’s dying moments, only to see his thunderbolt from outside the box smash off the crossbar.
Painfully for him, replays showed that the AZ goalkeeper managed to get the slightest of touches with his hand to palm it onto the upright.
Buoyed by their equaliser at the end of the first half, the away side came out for the second period in a completely different manner, playing with a lot more intensity and pressing the Lazio players in their own half.
AZ didn’t toy with their hosts for long, and it was Milos Kerkez who turned the clash around after winning the ball in hostile territory, playing a tidy one-two with Karlsson before sliding the ball through the legs of Luis Maximiano to put AZ 2-1 up.
Maurizio Sarri and his players appeared stunned after falling behind, and despite having almost 30 minutes to respond, the Biancocelesti failed to find an equaliser - with a combination of poor finishing and resolute defending from the Dutch side making it a hugely frustrating evening for Lazio.
Now AZ will surely fancy their chances of reaching the quarter-finals, with a perfect record from six European home matches this term that Lazio will struggle to blot on this evidence.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Milos Kerkez (AZ Alkmaar)
