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Ajax Keeper Hailed as Hero After 'Crazy' Shoot-Out

Ajax's Dutch goalkeeper #22 Remko Pasveer (C) saves a penalty during the penalty shootout at the end of the UEFA Europa League 3rd Qualifying Round second leg football match between Ajax FC and Panathinaikos FC at the Johan Cruyff Arena, in Amsterdam, on August 15, 2024. (Photo by Olaf Kraak / ANP / AFP)
Ajax's Dutch goalkeeper #22 Remko Pasveer (C) saves a penalty during the penalty shootout at the end of the UEFA Europa League 3rd Qualifying Round second leg football match between Ajax FC and Panathinaikos FC at the Johan Cruyff Arena, in Amsterdam, on August 15, 2024. (Photo by Olaf Kraak / ANP / AFP)
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Ajax Keeper Hailed as Hero After 'Crazy' Shoot-Out

Ajax's Dutch goalkeeper #22 Remko Pasveer (C) saves a penalty during the penalty shootout at the end of the UEFA Europa League 3rd Qualifying Round second leg football match between Ajax FC and Panathinaikos FC at the Johan Cruyff Arena, in Amsterdam, on August 15, 2024. (Photo by Olaf Kraak / ANP / AFP)
Ajax's Dutch goalkeeper #22 Remko Pasveer (C) saves a penalty during the penalty shootout at the end of the UEFA Europa League 3rd Qualifying Round second leg football match between Ajax FC and Panathinaikos FC at the Johan Cruyff Arena, in Amsterdam, on August 15, 2024. (Photo by Olaf Kraak / ANP / AFP)

The 40-year-old goalkeeper of Ajax was being hailed as a hero Friday after the Dutch giants won a "crazy" penalty shoot-out 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, said AFP.
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" shoot-out, 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 immortalized 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."
It was a welcome win for Ajax, who are trying to bounce back from one of the most disappointing seasons in their illustrious history.
At one point the 36-time Dutch champions were bottom of the Eredivisie and suffered humiliating losses to rivals Feyenoord and PSV Eindhoven.
With new coach Farioli at the helm, the Amsterdam-based club is hoping for a turnaround in fortunes and won their first Eredivisie match 1-0 against Heerenveen on Sunday.
The longest shoot-out in history was the 56 kicks taken in the Israeli domestic competition between SC Dimona and Shimshon Tel Aviv.

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Kylian Mbappé Scores on Debut for Real Madrid in a 2-0 Win over Atalanta in UEFA Super Cup

Soccer Football - Super Cup - Real Madrid v Atalanta - National Stadium, Warsaw, Poland - August 14, 2024 Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappé celebrates with the trophy after winning the Super Cup. (Reuters)
Soccer Football - Super Cup - Real Madrid v Atalanta - National Stadium, Warsaw, Poland - August 14, 2024 Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappé celebrates with the trophy after winning the Super Cup. (Reuters)
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Kylian Mbappé Scores on Debut for Real Madrid in a 2-0 Win over Atalanta in UEFA Super Cup

Soccer Football - Super Cup - Real Madrid v Atalanta - National Stadium, Warsaw, Poland - August 14, 2024 Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappé celebrates with the trophy after winning the Super Cup. (Reuters)
Soccer Football - Super Cup - Real Madrid v Atalanta - National Stadium, Warsaw, Poland - August 14, 2024 Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappé celebrates with the trophy after winning the Super Cup. (Reuters)

A goal and a trophy. How about that for a debut by Kylian Mbappé for Real Madrid?

The France captain pulled on the famous white jersey of the Spanish champions for the first time in a competitive match and marked the occasion with the second goal in a 2-0 win over Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday.

Mbappé, who started and played 82 minutes at the National Stadium in Warsaw, met a pass from Jude Bellingham across the area with a shot into the top corner in the 68th minute.

"He is inevitable," Bellingham said of Mbappé.

"It’s a big step for him – people have been talking about him coming here for a long time — and it feels like he’s been here for a while."

After putting both arms across his chest for his trademark celebration, Mbappé was congratulated by Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo, the other members of Madrid’s star-studded strike force that might be sending tremors around European soccer heading into the new season.

Federico Valverde tapped home a cross from Vinícius in the 59th to set Madrid on its way to a record sixth victory in the Super Cup, the annual match between the Champions League winners (Madrid) and the Europa League champions (Atalanta).

Madrid is used to holding records — no team has more European Cup titles than its 15 — and owning the world’s best players.

Mbappé certainly belongs in that category and it was a strong start to life at the world’s top soccer club, one he dreamt of playing for as a kid before fulfilling that reality by moving from Paris Saint-Germain after a drawn-out saga.

Now he is Madrid’s No. 9 and started the Super Cup as the team’s central striker — to limited success, aside from a couple of spins and tricks that wowed the crowd in the first half — before moving out wide for the second half to greater effect.

"We have a new-look team and it seemed to just click tonight," Bellingham said. "Sometimes it takes a bit of time – the first half we were still adjusting — and the second half it all came together and we were brilliant."

Vinícius and Bellingham, stars of Madrid’s run to the Champions League and La Liga titles last season, were the game’s standout players, however, as Carlo Ancelotti’s team eventually overpowered Atalanta after an even first half that saw both sides hit the crossbar.

Madrid defender Eder Militao deflected a cross onto his own bar before Rodrygo fired in a shot just before halftime that struck the top of the bar.

"At one point, the game was within our reach," Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini said.

Atalanta almost took the lead early in the second half when Mario Pašalić had a header tipped aside by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois but Madrid was dominant thereafter, with Vinícius operating more down the middle.

It might take a while for Ancelotti to find the ideal formula up front — Brazil striker Endrick, a summer signing like Mbappé, didn’t even come off the bench for the match — but it’s an enviable dilemma for the Italian coach.

"The most difficult thing, what we are looking for, is finding balance in the team with the quality we have up front," Ancelotti said. "If we are able to do this, we can have a very good season. We have a fantastic squad, to be honest."

Luka Modric, the 38-year-old Croatia great who was one of five second-half substitutes for Madrid, lifted the trophy high to a backdrop of gold confetti as Mbappé danced and led the celebrations beside him — before getting his hands on the hardware himself.

"I thought he (Mbappé) was amazing before and now you get a chance to play with him, you see the details up closer — the speed, the quality, the work without the ball, the way he is as a leader, the way he communicates," Bellingham said. "I can't speak highly enough of him really."