18-05-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
AZ Alkmaar hat-trick hero eyes Hong Kong glory, Brighton knock out Aston Villa
Hat-trick hero Sem van Duijn said AZ Alkmaar positioned themselves as underdogs before outclassing Larne 3-0 to reach the HKFC Standard Chartered Soccer Sevens semi-finals in Hong Kong on Sunday.
Dutch maestros Alkmaar were among the pre-tournament favourites following their recent Uefa Youth League exploits, when they lost 1-0 to eventual champions Barcelona in the last four.
They were shocked 1-0 by hosts Football Club on the opening day of the Sevens, however, before scraping through their group with a decisive 3-1 victory over Leicester City.
After his treble booked a clash with Yokohama Marinos of Japan, Van Duijn, 21, acknowledged Alkmaar initially struggled to cope with the blistering Hong Kong heat.
'It's twice as hot as at home right now, but we've got used to it and we're ready to keep going,' he said.
'Larne won their pool and we were second, so we knew it'd be a tough match.'
Tempers flared on the field and on the sidelines as Northern Irish side Larne resorted to illegal means to try to neuter their technically superior opponents.
