between heaven and hell
welcome back to dortmound. the score was 1-1. jan sofronie very narrowly volleying over the bar in extra time. that was about the closest we got to a winner. so the champions of europe for 2017 will be decided on penalties.
great tension here.
milan will take the first penalty. matteo natale, scorer of the milan equaliser, will set the tone for the rest of the evening. goal! he sent klompe the wrong way.
low and hard to the left. very well-taken penalty.
he has not missed a single penalty this season. and that record remains intact.
and so, milan has the lead.
corey flannen, the ajax captain is next. he missed a penalty in the dying minutes of last season's semi final against milan, which could have sent ajax through to the final instead. flannen...oh what a good penalty!
curled all the way to the left. exactly the same way he had taken it last season. but this time round, it's in. beyond alvarez. he had no chance at all.
yes, last season he was denied by the post. but no such thing this time round. very good penalty. perfect.
it's a very important psychological boost for ajax. he has buried the ghost of the past with this penalty. and he has to show his young team that they could do it. he has alot of responsibility on his young shoulders. but i think he has done very well. it's up to the rest now, to pick up from where hes left off.
cesare perrata...oh, klompe got a touch to it, but it still trickled in. klompe looks disgusted there. he knows he's almost had it. and perrata looks very happy. a bit of luck there.
fran battaglia is next. sent alvarez the wrong way!
again, another very good penalty. his technique is sublime. the placement, the power, the precision, everything just right.
marco de rossi, european player of the year with the ball. ohhh over the bar! klompe was sent the wrong way, but de rossi's penalty was over the bar. he is disappointed. very very disappointed with his effort. and klompe looks happier.
jan sofronie is next. this is ajax's chance to seize the initiative. sofronie...goal! bottom right. alvarez guessed wrongly again.
again, another penalty whcih went into the bottom corner. very well drilled in. i don't think alvarez would have any chance at all even if he got the direciton right.
the ajax fans have increased their volume. their team are ahead now.
eijkamp, the former ajax hero, now has to put it in the net against his former keeper. goal! what a powerful shot, top left corner. klompe guessed wrongly. but there was no way he would be able to stop it.
the ajax fans are momentarily silenced by their former hero.
tokiwa takuro, the boy genius from japan. OOH what an outrageous penalty. he chipped it into the top left corner. absolutely delightful.
audacious, simply audacious. he stood very close to the ball, and when the whistle was blown, he just waited a while and then so exquisitely lifted it. the ball dipped just under the bar. and alvarez was desperately tryin to reach upwards, but he knew that he was well and truly beaten. no chance at all.
again, the teenager has shown why huysegem was so desperate to bring him to holland.
favio rossini knows that he has to score to keep his team in. rossini...goal! good penalty, low and hard. he has done what he could. milan's fate now rests in ajax's hands.
frederic thiers, 18 years of age, will take the deciding penalty. the expectations of the entire team, of all the ajax fans in the world, rest on his young shoulders. thiers, arms akimbo.
pfft
GOAL!
and ajax, are the kings of europe! it has been a titanic clash. but they have pulled through. and it was down to the wonderkid in the end to score that decisive penalty.
there he is now, on his knees, staring up at the sky. what a special, what a glorious moment for him.
milan are crushed. despondent. the ajax players have surrounded the hero thiers. the celebrations have already begun in the stands, on the pitch. what a night.
two steps, two steps were all he took. he exhaled sharply, then took two steps and drilled it beyond alvarez. calm, composed. he has shown again the big match temperament, the confidence to play at the highest level.
and ajax, are not just the kings of holland, they are also the kings of europe. pieter huysegem has completed the double. in his second full season, he has turned the flagging fortunes of ajax around.
he will be hailed as a hero. they will be hailed as heroes. but for now, i think frederic thiers still can't believe what he has done. he has won it for ajax. the ultimate prize, the holy grail in european club football. champion of champions.
---
that night, when i scored that penalty, i sank to my knees. it was unbelievable. i looked up at the night sky and saw the stars. it was very beautiful. i thought i was in heaven.
and i prayed, i thanked god for giving me the chance to play football.
at that moment, i finally understood why takuro calls the stadium the cathedral. we were between heaven and hell. at that moment, i felt i had touched the gates of heaven. that kind of feeling, is indescribable.
up till today, i still can't forget it.
great tension here.
milan will take the first penalty. matteo natale, scorer of the milan equaliser, will set the tone for the rest of the evening. goal! he sent klompe the wrong way.
low and hard to the left. very well-taken penalty.
he has not missed a single penalty this season. and that record remains intact.
and so, milan has the lead.
corey flannen, the ajax captain is next. he missed a penalty in the dying minutes of last season's semi final against milan, which could have sent ajax through to the final instead. flannen...oh what a good penalty!
curled all the way to the left. exactly the same way he had taken it last season. but this time round, it's in. beyond alvarez. he had no chance at all.
yes, last season he was denied by the post. but no such thing this time round. very good penalty. perfect.
it's a very important psychological boost for ajax. he has buried the ghost of the past with this penalty. and he has to show his young team that they could do it. he has alot of responsibility on his young shoulders. but i think he has done very well. it's up to the rest now, to pick up from where hes left off.
cesare perrata...oh, klompe got a touch to it, but it still trickled in. klompe looks disgusted there. he knows he's almost had it. and perrata looks very happy. a bit of luck there.
fran battaglia is next. sent alvarez the wrong way!
again, another very good penalty. his technique is sublime. the placement, the power, the precision, everything just right.
marco de rossi, european player of the year with the ball. ohhh over the bar! klompe was sent the wrong way, but de rossi's penalty was over the bar. he is disappointed. very very disappointed with his effort. and klompe looks happier.
jan sofronie is next. this is ajax's chance to seize the initiative. sofronie...goal! bottom right. alvarez guessed wrongly again.
again, another penalty whcih went into the bottom corner. very well drilled in. i don't think alvarez would have any chance at all even if he got the direciton right.
the ajax fans have increased their volume. their team are ahead now.
eijkamp, the former ajax hero, now has to put it in the net against his former keeper. goal! what a powerful shot, top left corner. klompe guessed wrongly. but there was no way he would be able to stop it.
the ajax fans are momentarily silenced by their former hero.
tokiwa takuro, the boy genius from japan. OOH what an outrageous penalty. he chipped it into the top left corner. absolutely delightful.
audacious, simply audacious. he stood very close to the ball, and when the whistle was blown, he just waited a while and then so exquisitely lifted it. the ball dipped just under the bar. and alvarez was desperately tryin to reach upwards, but he knew that he was well and truly beaten. no chance at all.
again, the teenager has shown why huysegem was so desperate to bring him to holland.
favio rossini knows that he has to score to keep his team in. rossini...goal! good penalty, low and hard. he has done what he could. milan's fate now rests in ajax's hands.
frederic thiers, 18 years of age, will take the deciding penalty. the expectations of the entire team, of all the ajax fans in the world, rest on his young shoulders. thiers, arms akimbo.
pfft
GOAL!
and ajax, are the kings of europe! it has been a titanic clash. but they have pulled through. and it was down to the wonderkid in the end to score that decisive penalty.
there he is now, on his knees, staring up at the sky. what a special, what a glorious moment for him.
milan are crushed. despondent. the ajax players have surrounded the hero thiers. the celebrations have already begun in the stands, on the pitch. what a night.
two steps, two steps were all he took. he exhaled sharply, then took two steps and drilled it beyond alvarez. calm, composed. he has shown again the big match temperament, the confidence to play at the highest level.
and ajax, are not just the kings of holland, they are also the kings of europe. pieter huysegem has completed the double. in his second full season, he has turned the flagging fortunes of ajax around.
he will be hailed as a hero. they will be hailed as heroes. but for now, i think frederic thiers still can't believe what he has done. he has won it for ajax. the ultimate prize, the holy grail in european club football. champion of champions.
---
that night, when i scored that penalty, i sank to my knees. it was unbelievable. i looked up at the night sky and saw the stars. it was very beautiful. i thought i was in heaven.
and i prayed, i thanked god for giving me the chance to play football.
at that moment, i finally understood why takuro calls the stadium the cathedral. we were between heaven and hell. at that moment, i felt i had touched the gates of heaven. that kind of feeling, is indescribable.
up till today, i still can't forget it.
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