- Ajax won dramatically against Panathinaikos in Amsterdam on Thursday evening
- Goalkeeper Remko Pasveer, 40, stopped five attempts and scored his own penalty
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Ajax may have won the most chaotic and dramatic penalty shootout ever, after beating Greek team Panathinaikos 13-12, with a total of nine goals missed by both teams.
Dutch powerhouse Ajax faced Panathinaikos in the return leg of the third round of Europa League qualification on Thursday night in Amsterdam. The home team went into the match with a 1-0 lead.
However, it was the Greek opponents who scored in the 90th minute, with Tete equalizing in the 89th minute, forcing extra time.
Since no one could make a difference in the extra 30 minutes, penalties were taken. That would be an exciting battle.
Panathinaikos started off like a nightmare after Daniel Mancini missed the opening kick. Ajax quickly took a 4-3 lead, until Brian Brobbey secured the win.
Ajax defeated Panathinaikos 13-12 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in their Europa League qualifier
Panathinaikos equalised in the 89th minute to force extra time, but will leave Amsterdam heartbroken
Jordan Henderson scored his goal in the shootout, which sent Ajax through from the qualifying match
Incredibly, the former Manchester United target missed the ball, allowing the Greeks back into the game.
But the drama was far from over. Jordan Henderson scored his kick before both sides missed two more attempts, leaving the score at 5-5 after 16 penalties.
Neither side missed the target in the next 14 goals – including from goalkeepers Remko Pasveer and Bartlomiej Dragowski – as the war of attrition continued in the Dutch capital.
When the penalty order was reset, given how long the shootout had already gone on, Filip Mladenovic’s effort was saved by Pasveer. Brobbey stepped back to the spot, but wasted his second chance to spare Mladenovic the blushes.
But after Tony Vilhena missed the ninth penalty of the match – Pasveer made a stunning save on his fifth shot – Anton Gaaei finally provided a way out and ended the chaos.
The shoot-out eventually lasted more than 25 minutes, with the jubilant fans in the stadium getting more than their money’s worth.
Brobbey’s supporters also did their best to cheer him up. The striker’s name was reportedly chanted around the pitch after he scored twice.
Henderson was supposed to take the last penalty, as he was the sixth to be selected for Ajax. However, after the match he revealed why he let Gaaei go.
Remko Pasveer was the hero after saving no fewer than five penalties in the 25-minute shootout
Brian Brobbey missed both attempts in the shootout, but the crowd did their best to lift him up
Panathinaikos were on the wrong end of a memorable draw and leave Amsterdam empty-handed
‘After Brian Brobbey missed, Anton Gaaei said to me: “If they score now, you can take it, but if they miss, can I take it?”‘ he admitted to Ziggo Sport.
‘I said, “Of course, go and get the glory”. And he’s probably better on penalties anyway. He deserves it, he’s a great guy.’
Pasveer was the hero of the match, however. He saved five penalties, but later, in the style of Roy Keane, he would say to Ziggo: ‘That’s my job, isn’t it?’, sources report.