Ajax goalie Pasveer hailed after ‘crazy’ shootout

Ajax’s goalkeeper Remko Pasveer after stopping a penalty against Panathinaikos. Pic/Getty Images

The 40-year-old goalkeeper of Ajax was being hailed as a hero on Friday after the Dutch giants won a "crazy" penalty shootout 13-12 to advance into the Europa League play-offs. Remko Pasveer saved five penalties and scored one himself to squeeze Ajax past Greek side Panathinaikos in one of the longest penalty shoot-outs in history.

The total of 34 penalty kicks was the most taken in a UEFA competition, beating a game between the Netherlands and England in the under-21 European Championship, where 32 were taken. It was a "bizarre" shootout, Pasveer said after the match.

"So many penalties and every time someone missed, the other team missed. This was crazy," said Ajax coach Francesco Farioli. "But it was also a great evening. We are now definitely playing in Europe." He joked that Pasveer could expect to be immortalised in the corridors of the Ajax stadium where pictures of some of the greats of Dutch football hang.

"Remko asked why there was never a picture of a goalkeeper who has kept a clean sheet. I told him he should maybe play a bit better," quipped the coach. "But now I think we should quickly hang up a picture of him."

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