WATCH: Belgian goalie saves a hat-trick of penalties to earn unlikely draw
By Stephen Barry
When the final whistle blew moments after their 94th-minute equaliser, the players of Belgium’s KV Mechelen didn’t run towards the goal-scoring hero (after all it was an own goal that saved them)…
Instead it was their on-loan ‘keeper, Jean-Francois Gillet, who accepted all the adulation.
It was well deserved too, given than Gillet had saved a remarkable three penalties to keep his side in contention against the might of Anderlecht.
Three different penalty-takers were spooked by the sight of Gillet, with Dennis Praet, Stefano Okaka and substitute Youri Tielemans all trying and failing to beat him from a distance of 12 yards…
The first two saves kept the game scoreless, while the third arrived five minutes before the late, late equaliser.
Perhaps word of Gillet’s penalty-saving past had put fright into the Anderlecht shooters, who join Andrea Pirlo, Francesco Totti and David Villa on the list of Gillet’s victims.
Not bad company, though!
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