Some of the most important football matches have been decided by penalties.
Penalty shootouts are among the tensest and stressful events – for both the players involved and the anxious home watchers biting their fingernails off in agony.
The sudden death in the quarterfinals, the winner of the Cup final, and the shootout to decide the World Cup winner are just a few of the exciting circumstances in football. Add the tension that builds as a player runs close to the goal and the high stakes that a shootout entails.
But what are the procedures and regulations for penalty shootouts? Let’s go through the main points you need to know.
What is a penalty?
When a player in the penalty box fouls an opponent during ordinary match play, it is considered a penalty. A player from the team that was fouled is then selected to take the penalty shot one-on-one with the goalkeeper at the “penalty spot” in the center of the box. The keeper has no idea where the attacker would shoot the ball until he actually takes the shot, so the attacker clearly has the edge on purpose.
What happens in the penalty shootout?
Only the knockout stages of a competition, such as the round of 16 in a big international event like the World Cup, the Euros, or a club competition like the Champions League, involve penalty shootouts.
If, at the conclusion of normal or extra time, the score is still tied, they will determine the final score of a knockout game because only one side will be able to advance to the next round.
Since the conclusion of the clubs’ finishing is decided by points, penalty shootouts do not take place throughout the league season.
Both teams choose five players to take a penalty and alternate the sequence in which they do so in a shootout (ABAB). Prior to the shootout, the referee will meet with the leaders of the two teams to decide which half of the field the shootout will occur in. There will then be a second coin toss to determine which team will take the lead in the shootout.
After the first five shots, the shootout is won by the side with the most penalties scored.
The “best of five kicks” rule stipulates that if one side scores more successful penalties than it could possibly score with all of its remaining kicks, the shootout ends regardless of the number of remaining kicks. If the score is still level after five penalties have been scored, penalties continue through one back-and-forth round at a time; the team that has the edge at the end of the round wins. This is also referred to as sudden death.
The winning team will then be determined by whatever team made the most successful kicks by the end of the shootout.
When does a match is decided with penalties?
In the event that there is a tie in the final score after 90 minutes of regular play, two 15-minute overtime sessions will be played to decide the victor. In overtime, each team is allowed one more substitution.
Teams will either play slowly and sluggishly if they want to force a shootout or nervously and restlessly if they want to find a match-winning goal during the 30 minutes of extra time.
The sides enter the penalty shootout on edge and high on adrenaline, with the team’s weariness and stress only adding to the schadenfreude of shootout melodrama. It happens frequently that extra time ends with the score still even or the same from the end of the 90 minutes.
Best goes last.
Each team has five attempts in a penalty shootout, and the side with the most successful kicks is crowned the winner.
Due to its potential to be the most significant, the fifth penalty is typically regarded as the most significant. The other side can win the shootout by scoring in a 5-4 victory if the scores are tied after the fifth round and the opposing team misses their fifth penalty.
There is a great deal of pressure associated with scoring it because it has the potential to be the determining factor. This is why a team’s top performer, or go-to penalty taker, is frequently held back for this situation rather than being slated to score early in the shootout. Idealistically, they would have the best mental preparation to take on such a task and the greatest possibility of success.
Of course, this strategy has the potential to backfire, particularly if a club fails to advance even to the fifth round as a result of missed penalties.
Closing, let’s remember some of the greatest penalty shoutouts:
- Manchester United vs. Chelsea, Champions League Final 2008: Oh John Terry..
- West Germany vs. England, World Cup 1990: Germans, the English. English, the Germans.. again!
- Liverpool vs. Roma, European Cup Final 1984: Spaghetti legs.
- South Korea vs. Spain, World Cup 2002: What an upset!
- Germany vs. England, Euro 96: Gareth Southgate would remember this not so fondly…
- West Germany vs. France, World Cup 1982: Noticed a -German- pattern, yet?
- France vs. Brazil, World Cup 1986: Michel, Michel!
- Liverpool vs. AC Milan, Champions League Final 2005: That’s what you call a comeback!
- Brazil vs. Italy, World Cup 1994: Keep walking Roberto Baggio.
- Italy vs. France, World Cup 2006: What a goodbye, ZZ!
