Ajax, who secured a 1-0 victory away to Panathinaikos in the first leg, conceded a late equalizer in the 89th minute in Amsterdam, forcing the game to a dramatic penalty shootout. The ensuing shootout broke the previous European record of 32 penalties taken in a U-21 championship semifinal between Netherlands and England in 2007, which the Dutch won 13-12.
However, this game took the drama to a new level, as 34 consecutive penalties were converted before Ajax keeper Remko Pasveer became the hero. Pasveer made five saves and even scored a penalty himself, showcasing his all-around ability. Despite Dutch international Brian Brobbey missing two penalties, Ajax prevailed in the end.
Pasveer, the man of the moment, expressed his surprise at saving five penalties, stating, “Five is quite a lot… I save a penalty every now and then, but I don’t think you often experience something as crazy as this.” He further added that he believed in his teammate Brobbey to score the winning penalty, but unfortunately, it didn’t go their way.
Thankfully for Ajax, defender Anton Gaaei stepped up and delivered the winning spot-kick, sending them through to the playoff round. Ajax will now face Jagiellonia Bialystok from Poland later this month, with the hope of progressing further in the competition.
The record for the world’s longest penalty shootout was set just a few months ago in May when Israeli third-tier sides SC Dimona and Shimshon Tel Aviv required an astonishing 56 penalties to decide their semi-final promotion playoff tie.
Myanmar claim bronze at SEA Games 2019 after holding their nerve to beat Cambodia
Myanmar have claimed the men’s football bronze medal at SEA Games 2019 after keeping their cool to beat Cambodia 5-4 on penalties following a 2-2 draw at the Rizal Memorial Stadium on Tuesday.
Startup from a passion for bamboo flutes
Nguyen Van Mao, known as Mao Meo (Cat), has made his name in the national start-up community because of his passion for bamboo flutes. Mao is also the initiator of a movement to play bamboo flutes in the local community and has opened 31 bamboo flute stores nationwide. He is the director of the Mao Meo Bamboo Flute company that exports its products to 20 countries worldwide.
Fans lament end of Japan’s brave run in World Cup
TOKYO — Japan supporters lamented the team’s 3-1 penalty shootout loss to Croatia at the World Cup in Qatar, crushing their nation’s dream of advancing to the quarter-finals.
Croatia oust favourites Brazil 4-2 on penalties to reach semi-final
AL RAYYAN, Qatar — Croatia stunned favourites Brazil 4-2 on penalties on Friday to reach the World Cup semi-finals for the second time in a row after battling back from a goal down in extra time, in one of the biggest knockout-phase upsets in the tournament’s history.
Vietnam Wins AFF U23 Championship After Defeating Indonesia in Shootout
Vietnam clinched a successful title defense at Saturday’s ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) U23 Championship, held in Thailand, with a dramatic 6-5 win over Indonesia in a penalty shootout.
