AZ dropped valuable points on Wednesday evening in the battle for the top places. In the AFAS Stadium, the team was stuck at a draw against Excelsior: 1-1. Nevertheless, there was positive news for FC Utrecht, as mercenary Miliano Jonathans had an excellent debut with the Rotterdam team.
The Alkmaarders started the game under the leadership of new coach Leroy Echteld, who was appointed this week as successor to the dismissed Maarten Martens. AZ needed a win to stay ahead of FC Twente in the rankings, which previously won 0-2 at Heracles. However, Excelsior offered good resistance for a long time and held out for half.
After the break, AZ managed to convert the dominance into a goal. In the 65th minute, Troy Parrott was accurate and the home team seemed to be on their way to three points. However, Excelsior did not give in and continued to look for an opening.
That came nine minutes before the end via Miliano Jonathans. The attacker, who was loaned out by FC Utrecht, had only come on the field three minutes earlier, but immediately left his mark on the match by scoring the equalizer. With this, Jonathans crowned his substitute appearance and he can look back on a great debut for Excelsior, which also brought a smile to Utrecht fans.
