Jozy Altidore subbed on in the 78th minute for AZ in their rescheduled KNVB Beker (aka the KNVB Cup) game on Thursday. The game was played during the day to allow school children to attend, a compromise after the original game was abandoned due to a fan attacking AZ's goalkeeper and rescheduled to be played without fans present.

The KNVB Beker (Dutch Cup) clash between Ajax Amsterdam and AZ Alkmaar, which was suspended due to an attack on AZ keeper Esteban Alvarado in the initial encounter, was completed today in the Amsterdam ArenA with the home side going down to a 3-2 defeat.

Siem de Jong gave Ajax the lead as early as the 10th minute only for the visitors to restore parity fourteen minutes later through Maarten Martins.

The KNVB Beker (Dutch Cup) clash between Ajax Amsterdam and AZ Alkmaar, which was suspended due to an attack on AZ keeper Esteban Alvarado in the initial encounter, was completed today in the Amsterdam ArenA with the home side going down to a 3-2 defeat.

Siem de Jong gave Ajax the lead as early as the 10th minute only for the visitors to restore parity fourteen minutes later through Maarten Martins.

This is a Special Edition soccer news blast during this holiday week. I have been off enjoying regular life, cut had to at least lay all of this good stuff on you once this week. We will be back to regular service next week. But for now here is some news, in pretty much random order - no headlines or sections:
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du Nord at the Controls - Tue Dec 27, 2011 - My Dad's birthday - new music mix at Spotify.

AZ keeper Esteban Alvarado was sent off following this incident on Wednesday

AZ Alkmaar goalkeeper Esteban Alvarado has had his red card from Wednesday's Round of 16 KNVB Beker (Dutch Cup) match against Ajax Amsterdam rescinded.

The keeper was attacked by an Ajax fan only for Esteban to retaliate on the attacker by kicking him whilst he was on the ground, a response which was deemed inappropriate by referee Bas Nijhuis who then sent off the keeper much to the astonishment and fury of the AZ players and staff.

Image Credit: AP Photo/Stanley Gontha.

We don't often get to use the terms 'mayhem' and 'drama' when we're talking about the KNVB Beker (Dutch Cup). That's mainly because we rarely bother to cover it, but our attention was drawn specifically to the game between AZ Alkmaar and Ajax last night, when a fan onto the pitch and tried to attack Alkmaar 'keeper Esteban.

STARTERS
Milan won Serie A. Congrats to them.
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8th seeded Chivas has knocked out #1 seed Tigres out of the Mexican playoffs!
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Where oh where has Oguchi gone? Onyewu has not been playing at all lately for his club Twente, and did not even dress as they won the Netherlands KNVB Beker aka League Cup.

There were a multitude of cup finals taking place over Europe this weekend with the biggest of them in Holland. FC Twente Enschede put a marker ahead of their crucial championship showdown in Amsterdam by beating Ajax in extra-time. There were also cup wins for Slovan Bratislava, Llanelli AFC, Linfield FC and UE Sant Juli .

There were a multitude of cup finals taking place over Europe this weekend with the biggest of them in Holland. FC Twente Enschede put a marker ahead of their crucial championship showdown in Amsterdam by beating Ajax in extra-time. There were also cup wins for Slovan Bratislava, Llanelli AFC, Linfield FC and UE Sant Juli .

From winning the Dutch League title....

I'd hate to say "I told you so" as I don't like to see people fail in their jobs. However one could see from the outset that it was a case of running before you could walk in relation to Steve McClaren's move from Dutch champions FC Twente Enschede, who he had admirably taken to their maiden Eredivisie title in the 2009-10 season, to the depths of despair at an ambitious yet deeply flawed VfL Wolfsburg side in Germany's Bundesliga.

EINDHOVEN, Netherlands FC Twente progressed as the top two in the Eredivisie met in the last eight of the KNVB Beker, securing a 7-6 triumph over PSV Eindhoven in a penalty shootout after the game had ended 1-1. Midfielder Theo Janssen put Twente ahead from the penalty spot after 70 minutes but a last-gasp [.

There's been plenty more action in European domestic cup competitions this week including the French League Cup semi-finals, Coppa Italia, English and Scottish FA Cup replays as well as the completion of the German Cup 3rd round following the postponement of two games in December due to bad weather.

GRONINGEN, Netherlands Eredivisie high-flyers FC Groningen had to come from behind to get past SC Genemuiden and book their place in the quarter-finals of the KNVB Beker. Florencio Cornelia gave the third-tier side a shock lead midway through the first half but Groningen showed their class by turning the game on its head before [.