Ajax and Panathinaikos set UEFA record with 34 penalties in shootout

Ajax triumphed over Panathinaikos in a record-setting penalty shootout on Thursday, converting 34 penalties to secure a 13-12 victory. This remarkable event followed a tightly contested Europa League third qualifying round tie that concluded with a 1-1 aggregate score after two legs and extra time.

Having previously secured a 1-0 victory against Panathinaikos, Ajax faced a setback when they conceded a goal in the 89th minute during the return leg in Amsterdam, leading to the unprecedented shootout that surpassed the former record of 32 penalties set during the European U-21 Championship semi-final in 2007, where the Netherlands defeated England 13-12.

The longest shootout record globally was established in May, when Israeli third-tier teams SC Dimona and Shimshon Tel Aviv engaged in a 56-penalty shootout to determine the outcome of their semi-final promotion playoff.

Ajax goalkeeper Remko Pasveer played a crucial role, making five saves and successfully converting his own penalty, while Dutch international Brian Brobbey unfortunately missed two critical penalties.

"Five is indeed a significant number. I occasionally save penalties, but such an extraordinary experience is rare," Pasveer remarked.

"I had confidence each time we approached the penalty. With Brobbey taking the shot, I believed we would succeed. However, he missed, despite his consistent scoring in practice."

Defender Anton Gaaei ultimately secured the decisive penalty for Ajax, who will now advance to face Polish club Jagiellonia Bialystok in the playoff round later this month.