Ghanaian forward Ibrahim Sadiq delivered another sparkling performance on Thursday night, firing a brace to guide AZ Alkmaar into the Europa Conference League group stages with a commanding 4-1 win over Levski Sofia.
Sadiq wasted no time in stamping his authority on the contest, heading home from close range in the 3rd minute to ignite the home crowd. Just moments later, Mexx Meerdink doubled the advantage, putting AZ firmly in charge before the game had even settled.
As halftime approached, Sadiq struck again in stoppage time, calmly finishing to give AZ a 3-0 lead at the break and all but end the tie.
Levski Sofia briefly stirred after the restart through Everton Bala’s 46th-minute strike, but any hopes of a comeback were snuffed out late on when substitute Lequincio Zeefuik added a fourth in the 86th minute.
The emphatic victory sealed AZ’s progression with a 6-1 aggregate scoreline, but it was Sadiq’s brilliance that proved the driving force, his goalscoring touch once again underlining his growing importance to the Dutch side
