Top Ten: Penalty shoot-outs
Chris Colyer
Posted on: 10 November 2009 - 08:49
Football
As an Englishman I, for obvious reasons, loathe the prospect of a penalty shoot-out. Yet with such a cardiac threatening event the immense visual spectacle, that exudes anxious trepidation and incites heady euphoria, is undeniably alluring. Shoot-outs draw both fervent fans and intrigued neutrals into a gut wrenching finale where everlasting heroes and unfortunate villains are made. As a result, such players’ careers are often defined by a solitary kick or save.
So with great haste, here are the greatest penalty shoot-outs that have taken place since the system’s official incorporation into the modern game by FIFA in 1970. Let the heartbreak begin...
1. England vs. Germany (5-6) 1996 European Championship.
Out of the number of disheartening shoot-out defeats England have suffered, this, against arch rivals Germany, ranks top of my list. Taking place in the shadow of the 1990 World Cup, and amidst the fervour of ‘football’s coming home’, the German players kept their cool and confidently dispatched the three lions from the competition. Whilst Gareth Southgate was the only England player unable to score, Germany converted all six of their penalties on English soil and in front of a hostile and baying crowd. Impressive stuff.
2. Czechoslovakia vs. West Germany (5-3) 1976 European Championship.
This defeat was the first penalty shoot-out Germany participated in and thus far it is the only game they have lost using the shoot-out system, having success in their subsequent five shoot-outs. Czechoslovakia’s victory was a dramatic result that resounded across the footballing world, yet it was Antonin Panenka’s delicate chip that has made this shoot-out truly legendary. Germany clearly learnt from the experience.
3. Liverpool vs. A.C. Milan (3-2) 2005 Champions League.
This selection has to be considered in conjunction with the sensational FA Cup final victory over West Ham United in 2006. Both games were among the greatest finals ever witnessed and emphatically demonstrated the “Gerard era’s” strength of character and resilience. In a game that included controversy through Jerzy Dudek’s two illegal and yet permitted saves, Liverpool’s dramatic comeback rivalled, and perhaps eclipsed, their bitter foes Manchester United’s reversal in 1999 against Bayern Munich. Milan did not have to wait long to get their revenge, vanquishing Liverpool during normal time in the 2007 final.
4. Italy vs. Argentina (3-4) 1990 World Cup.
This epic semi-final encounter, like the aforementioned England - Germany tie, took place on the host nation’s own turf. Yet in the case of this clash, played in Naples, allegiances were not so clearly defined due to geographical divisions within Italy. Maradona, a Napoli golden boy, caused controversy when, citing the divisions, he called for the Mezzogiorno to support Argentina instead of Italy.
The script appeared pre-written as Maradona bravely, having missed a penalty against Yugoslavia in the previous round, scored the winning penalty to send the host nation out. Controversy continued when Maradona, in 1991, and Claudio Caniggia, in 1993, received substantial suspensions for failing drugs tests in Italy; the bans resulting in conspiracy theorists’ suggestions of Italian revenge. Maradona, having served his ban, left Napoli in disgrace.
5. Brazil vs. Italy (3-2) 1994 World Cup.
The 1994 final was the first World Cup, and to date one of only two, to be decided by a penalty shoot-out. For that reason alone, concluding the world’s most significant football competition, the shoot-out carries great significance. Following a rather dull game, with both teams failing to score, the Italians again lost on penalties, this time with legend Franco Baresi failing to convert Italy’s first penalty and Roberto Baggio famously blasting his shot over the cross bar.
6. Red Star Belgrade vs. Olympique Marseille (5-3) 1991 European Cup.
In the final of what was is now known as the Champions League, Serbian club Red Star Belgrade secured a historic victory via penalty shoot-out. Red Star, having played for penalties, as they were one of their great strengths, dispatched all five of theirs with aplomb, whilst Manuel Amoros doomed Marseille to defeat by missing the French team’s first.
Red Star’s success came shortly before a turbulent period for the region of former Yugoslavia, and as a result Red Star have diminished as a European football force. They remain the only Serbian club to have achieved such success. Their victory in 1991, which was only the fourth Champions League final to go to penalties, stands testament to Red Star’s previous stature and exciting brand of football.
7. Roma vs. Liverpool (2-4) 1984 European Cup.
The European Cup final clash between Roma and Liverpool was memorable for a rather contrasting reason. Having drawn 1-1 during normal time the result was decided for the first time in the tournament’s history by penalties. It was goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar, rather than a penalty taker, who grabbed the headlines thanks to his novel and comical wobbly knee technique of distraction. The Azzurri legend Francesco Graziani fell foul of Grobbelaar’s psychological ‘spaghetti leg’ antics, clipping the crossbar and thus allowing Alan Kennedy to secure the trophy for Liverpool in Roma’s home venue, the Stadio Olimpico.
8. Ivory Coast vs. Cameroon (12-11) 2006 African Cup of Nations.
In this dramatic shoot-out neither keeper made a save despite twenty-four penalties being taken. Twenty-three of the penalties were converted, and as a result the game possesses one of the highest conversion rates of penalties scored in a major international competition. Higher conversion rates have been seen, with Turkish sides Gençlerbirligi and Galatasaray converting thirty-three penalties out of thirty-four in a Turkish FA Cup game, but not in a high profile tournament of the African Cup of Nations’ stature. After completing an entire cycle of the eligible playing staff the unfortunate player to miss, who had already converted his first penalty, was striker Samuel Eto’o. A modern classic.
9. West Germany - France (5-4) 1982 World Cup.
Following one of the most entertaining games the World Cup has ever produced, ending three-all, West Germany fought back after an early penalty miss to overcome France to secure a place in the final against Italy. France had taken an early 2-3 shoot-out lead when Uli Stielike missed for West Germany, but the Germans rallied converting their following three penalties, whilst France’s Didier Six and Maxime Bossis both missed, thus handing West Germany the game. The Germans failed to carry the momentum forward though, losing to Italy three goals to one in the final. This penalty shoot-out capped this dramatic and enthralling game.
10. Tunbridge Wells vs. Littlehampton Town (16-15) 2005/2006 FA Cup.
Although not a game of particular high status, despite being a FA Cup clash, the game was an epic encounter that spanned two legs and made national headline news in the process. The first encounter finished one all, whilst the replay produced a further stalemate with a two all draw. During the subsequent shoot-out forty penalties were taken, making it the longest penalty shoot-out in European senior football history, and ranked third in the world. Although not the most glamorous of games, it was a stubborn battle royal worthy of mention.