One keeper manages to stop three penalties in a match
Jean François Gillet from Belgium entered the history books yesterday by becoming the second ever keeper to save 3 penalties leveling the record set by Walter Scott over 100 years previously.
It has taken over 100 years for this record to be matched -106 to be precise- but Jean Francois Gillet managed to stop three penalties for Mechelen against Anderlecht.
The Belgium saved the strikes of Tielemans, Praet y Okaka and became an instant hero over the weekend. However, many will not be surprised at Gillet spectacular match, as the Mechelen goalkeeper, who played the bulk of his career in Italy, is probably the best penalty-stopper the world.
During his three seasons with Bari, the Belgium keeper was able to stop no less than 19 penalties. He was given the captaincy, is a local hero and still regarded as one of the best footballers the club has ever had. He also saved a handful of penalties for Belgium's national team, alongside other clubs.
Gillet recognised that he had never been able to save 3 penalties in one game, even though he had managed to save two in one game before with Bari against Brescia, one of those was from Pirlo: "One time I saved 2 penalties in the same game, but we still managed to lose"