After losses in 2017 and 2018, AZ lost a third straight KNVB Beker final when Go Ahead Eagles beat the Alkmaar team 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw over 120 minutes.
AZ manager Maarten Martens said his side deserved to win after leading for nearly the entire second half. "We should have deservedly hoisted the trophy after 90 minutes. At 2-0, it would have been done. This hurts a lot."
'Little you can do'
After a fast-paced and intense first half, the second half got disrupted by fireworks from the Go Ahead Eagles stands. After a short stoppage, AZ earned a penalty, which Irish international Troy Parrott converted on the second attempt. It wasn't until the 99th minute that Go Ahead Eagles equalised thanks to AZ midfielder Peer Koopmeiners, who caused a penalty by handling the ball after his shirt seemingly got tugged.
Martens saw a clear foul on Koopmeiners. "Of course, Peer Koopmeiners got held," the Belgian said.
Koopmeiners himself said the tug got him out of balance, causing him to throw his hands in the air. "Of course, there is some pushing and pulling here and there. Once you are thrown off balance in the air, there is little you can do about where everything is going.
"Of course, I blame myself for having my hands there. You take a risk with that, but I think it was clear. The referee makes a different choice. For now, this is going to be a very big wound for a while."
'Emotional sucker punch'
AZ captain Bruno Martins Indi could've won the first major trophy of his career, but the 33-year-old ended up pulling the short straw yet again. The Portuguese-born defender was part of the Dutch squad at the 2014 World Cup, where he won the bronze medal.
Back then, Argentina knocked the Netherlands out in the semi-finals via penalties. On Sunday, it was Go Ahead Eagles who won their first Dutch Cup after spot-kicks. "This is definitely hard. It's an emotional sucker punch."
"We had enough chances to finish it off within 90 minutes, but we failed to do so. We created a lot of chances. In earlier games, it was maybe a bit less, but you just have to finish it at the right moments and be steady at the back."
Winning the KNVB Beker was AZ's best shot at directly qualifying for European football. The Alkmaar team are 13 points behind fourth-placed FC Utrecht and will likely have to book their European ticket via the play-offs. They will resume their hunt for the fifth spot on Thursday, when NAC Breda visit AZ in the Eredivisie.
"That's why we have to give this a place quickly. We have to make it to European football."
Read more about the KNVB Beker final in our match report here