It was better not to have anything planned early the next day for the spectators who came to watch the match between Ajax Amsterdam and Panathinaikos on Thursday evening, counting for the third preliminary round of the Europa League. Because after a Dutch success in the first leg (0-1), the Greek club achieved the same performance away (0-1), enough to go to extra time, and even to penalties. A final session that lasted until the end of the night.
Finally won by Ajax, this session has certainly gone down in history. Lasting more than twenty-five minutes, it saw an incalculable number of shooters succeed one another since no less than thirty-four attempts were recorded. Unable to separate, the two teams made the fun last, even if the tension and stress were rising at the same time.
Guardians on fire
And every time Ajax thought they had it under control, the counters were reset to zero, thanks in particular to the saves of the Pana goalkeeper. Opposite, his counterpart was not to be outdone. Veteran Remko Pasveer also worked hard to instill doubt in the opponents’ minds.
In the end, and after a session won 13-12, it was Ajax who took the best and who validated their place in the Europa League, while Panathinaikos was transferred to the Europa Conference League and will face Racing Club de Lens.
