Ron Vlaar: It's unbelievable that we can qualify

AZ Alkmaar skipper Ron Vlaar was a very happy man leaving Tallaght Stadium last night following his side’s 1-0 victory over Dundalk.

The win, AZ’s first of the campaign, puts the Dutchmen into the all-important second position in Group D with only one round of matches still up for decision.

The former Netherlands international says that it is “unbelievable” that his club still have a chance of getting through: “We play at home (in the final game) of course and it’s unbelievable to still have it in our own hands. We know what we need to do and if we win we’re through and with a draw we could be through,” Vlaar told extratime.ie.

“It was a tough game tonight. We started well, scored a good goal and played well but then we dropped off a little bit and made it hard for ourselves. Dundalk came better and better without creating many chances.

“In the second-half we created some good chances to finish the game but we didn’t so it was tough to the end.”

When asked if memories of Dundalk’s late smash and grab equaliser in Alkmaar was playing on his mind as the game neared its conclusion Vlaar laughed, saying that he “hadn’t time to think about it.”

“I didn’t think about that but it did happen in Alkmaar and luckily it wasn’t the case today. All over the pitch the game was played up and down but in the end it’s just a very important win for us."