AZ clinch fifth KNVB Beker triumph while NEC suffer sixth final defeat in a row
Following a 2-2 draw in the Conference League against Shakhtar Donetsk, AZ's temporary coach Lee-Roy Echtold headed to Rotterdam featuring a completely refreshed lineup, having given most key players a break during the midweek fixture. Up front, Kees Smit and Troy Parrott spearheaded the attack, with skipper Jordy Clasie returning to the starting side for the first time since the end of September.
NEC's head coach Dick Schreuder opted to keep Ajax's on-loan defender Ahmetcan Kaplan as a substitute, instead deploying a trio of defenders comprising Eli Dasa, Philippe Sandler, and Deveron Fonville, as the team from Nijmegen aimed to break free from the shadow of their past cup disappointments, having dropped all five previous KNVB Beker finals in their records.
True to form for many cup deciders, the contest began tentatively, with both teams probing cautiously before Jordy Clasie sparked things with a powerful half-volley from distance that cannoned back off the bar in the 24th minute.
This near-miss ignited AZ's energy, allowing them to seize control and go ahead when full-back Mees de Wit capitalised on a clever run by Ro-Zangelo Daal to slot the ball beyond a helpless Jasper Cillessen in the 32nd minute.
The game's standard waned again as AZ eased off the pace, permitting NEC to advance in greater force, though the visitors from Alkmaar maintained a firm grip at the back.
Surging forward at high speed, Kees Smit threaded a precise ball into the penalty area for NEC, setting up Sven Mijnans perfectly to double AZ's advantage with a sharp strike to Cillessen's near corner, leaving the opposition facing a steep challenge with just 20 minutes left.
Peer Koopmeiners, the midfielder and sibling of Juventus' Teun Koopmeiners, effectively dashed NEC's dreams of securing their first major honour by finishing a swift breakaway with an exquisite chip over Jasper Cillessen in the 73rd minute.
In a desperate push for a way back, NEC ignited hopes of a rally when replacement Koki Ogawa netted via his signature aerial prowess, granting the Nijmegen outfit 15 minutes to force additional play at minimum.
Once Tjaronn Chery tested AZ with a curling set-piece that had the NEC supporters dreaming, Sven Mijnans thought he had sealed the deal in the 85th minute by bundling home a loose ball after Troy Parrott's first effort was parried by Cillessen, yet the deputy leader's strike got chalked off for offside.
The decisive blow arrived via Kees Smit's right boot, as he found space unmarked and lifted a superb lob past Cillessen to wrap up the KNVB Beker showdown in the opening moments of stoppage time.
AZ turned the night into pure magic right at the death, as Troy Parrott bagged a stunning fifth goal for the winners courtesy of a wicked deflection.
Marking their first success in the competition since 2013 and the fifth overall, AZ lifted the Dutch KNVB Beker, establishing themselves as the top achievers beyond the dominant trio of Ajax, PSV, and Feyenoord in the history of the national cup.
NEC must now reflect on yet another final heartbreak, stretching their unwanted Dutch mark to six KNVB Beker finals without a victory. This matches the feat of Northern Ireland's Larne, who have also endured six Irish Cup final losses without triumph, and they lag behind solely FC Ruggell, a part-time side from Liechtenstein with seven such defeats, among current European teams with the highest number of squandered domestic cup finals sans success.