Kasper Dolberg looks unbeatable from the penalty spot. The Danish striker has scored his last 15 attempts, including 8 for Anderlecht. Against Saint-Trond, again, his delivery was unstoppable. However, Dolberg has indeed already been beaten by a goalkeeper.
It was Roy Kortsmit, now a substitute goalkeeper at NAC Breda. It happened on October 14, 2017 at the Johan Cruijff ArenA. Dolberg, then aged 20 and a substitute at Ajax, appeared face to face with the ball in the 92nd minute against Sparta Rotterdam.
The Ajax players were already leading 4-0, but Dolberg failed. Kortsmit went to the right side and saved the penalty. “There were 51,500 people in the stadium, we don’t quickly forget that,” Kortsmit remembers in the columns of Newspaper. “It wasn’t a great save, but I had a good feeling for the penalties.”
That day, Kortsmit may have sowed doubt in Dolberg. “I often shouted to the players: ‘Shoot in the middle!’ As a goalkeeper you wait as long as possible before making a move. Dolberg shot to the right, halfway up. He was still young and maybe a little nervous. I don’t remember. exactly what I said, but it apparently worked.”
Dolberg scored his first penalty in the professional world. Since then, the center forward has perfected his technique: powerful, precise shots, in the corner and without hesitation. From Ajax to Nice, via Anderlecht and the Danish national team: Dolberg has never missed a penalty since. His mastery is simply impressive.
Recognition for Kortsmit, perhaps? The Dutchman saved five penalties in a row at the time and even became a phenomenon in the Netherlands. “It was my specialty at the time. Saving penalties gives goalkeepers a lot of confidence, and that certainly played into Dolberg’s mind,” he says.
