Ajax Secures Europa League Spot in Marathon Shootout

Ajax after 25-minute penalty shoot-out tilt against Panathinaikos 13-12 in epic Europa League qualifier.

Ajax finally secured their spot in the Europa League group stage after a thrilling marathon penalty shootout against Panathinaikos, with the Dutch giants emerging victorious with a 13-12 score. The 25-minute hall-of-fame shootout unfolded the heroics of Ajax’s 40-year-old goalkeeper Remko Pasveer, who made five saves and also scored a penalty himself.

The ordeal entered the sudden death when the score was still tied at 12-12. It was former Dutch midfielder Tonny Vilhena who missed the crucial final spot-kick for Panathinaikos, before Ajax’s Anton Gaaei sealed their ticket from the spot. Interestingly, Liverpool’s skipper Jordan Henderson was supposed to take the winning kick before he then playfully gave the spot kick to Gaaei after the brief chat.

The 13-12 victory not only adds another memorable chapter in Ajax’s European history, but it also highlighted Pasveer’s unlikely heroics of both scoring a penalty and saving five shots to steer his side into the Europa League group stages phase. Such is the beauty of football!