A World Cup penalty shoot-out: for the players it's the ultimate test of nerve and skill, for fans it's time to watch between your fingers and pray for divine intervention. But why is it so hard for an elite footballer to score a free shot from 12 yards? Through interviews with journalists, psychologists, players and goalkeepers, FourFourTwo delves deep into the science of the spot-kick.
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00:00I
00:18Wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy to go out there and have to take a penalty and a penalty shoot out
00:24Please don't miss, please don't miss, please don't miss, it's not a nice place to be
00:32Yeah I've never been under so much pressure mentally, physically
00:38I think the number one rule of penalties is do not change what you're comfortable with, make the decision and stick to it
00:46When the moment arrives, you define it or it defines you
00:52It defines you
01:22A penalty shootout is different from taking a penalty in the match
01:26Because you get the thing where your teams are in the centre circle or on the half way line
01:31You have to walk all the way to the penalty spot
01:34Which is unique because that doesn't happen in a football match because normally you're surrounded, you're in the box
01:38And then you pick it up and you put it on the spot and you go and take it
01:41When the penalty shootout is a little bit different so you've got more time to think than any other penalty that you've probably ever taken in your career
01:48And obviously it's also in a World Cup, it means more
01:51Us players are brought up in an environment where it is 22 players on the pitch, 11 on your side
01:57So there are moments in the game for long periods where you aren't the focal point for most of the game
02:03You aren't the focal point of the team
02:05So that's what you're used to, that's where you're comfortable
02:07When you go up for a penalty, it's you against a keeper
02:111v1, you're the focal point, it's a big difference
02:15A free shot from 12 yards can be hard
02:28Because the temptation for distraction can enter into an athlete's mind
02:33Neuroscience and psychology has proved that the brain behaves differently under conditions of anxiety
02:41When athletes are first learning movements for real
02:45They use a very conscious area of their brain
02:49Called the ventral stream
02:51When they become expert at their field, in their chosen task
02:57A different area of the brain is activated
03:00And that's called the dorsal stream
03:02So when an athlete performs under conditions of potential pressure
03:06Anxiety literally switches a different area of the brain into action
03:14And it turns what should be an effortless, fluent, expert, natural movement
03:21Into something that can feel very awkward, very difficult and very complex
03:27Normally that happens because athletes overthink the situation
03:32In psychology there is a term called paralysis through analysis
03:36And that means that I can overthink, overcomplicate the moment in its simplicity
03:43So the first shootout in a World Cup was in 1982
04:01And it couldn't have been more dramatic
04:03It was West Germany against France in the semi-final
04:06This was the first World Cup that was shown all around the world in colour TV
04:10So the images are really much more impactful now as well
04:15What we saw is that the first four penalties were scored
04:18West Germany's Uli Stilicke stepped up to take the penalty for the Germans
04:22And he missed
04:24And as soon as he missed, he fell to the ground
04:27And put his hands over his head
04:29And he curled into a ball like a little baby
04:33And what we were seeing was the power of the penalty was incredible
04:38It could turn an elite athlete who was playing for his country
04:43Into an infant who was crying
04:47And the pictures showed that as Stilicke was walking back to the centre circle
04:51He had tears streaming down his face because he thought he'd lost the match for the Germans
04:56And in fact, the next player to take the kick for France
04:59We almost missed him taking his kick because the camera was so focused on the tears of Stilicke
05:04But that was Didier Cease
05:06He didn't want to take a penalty because he felt he was injured
05:09But he took it and he also missed
05:11So it's back to even Stevens
05:13And the next player to take for France was Maxime Bossis
05:16Again, another player who didn't really want to take one
05:18And he was asking around who wants it, who wants it
05:20And Jean Tigana, the France midfielder, said no
05:23There are a couple of other players that said no
05:25So Bossis went up to take it and he missed
05:27And he also, as soon as he missed, crouched down
05:29So we were seeing the impact that missing a penalty had on these powerful individuals
05:35Germany went on to win the shootout
05:37But the overriding sense from that shootout was that penalties are traumatic
05:43And they're dangerous
05:44And they can turn an athlete into something that he doesn't want to be
05:48They can reduce an athlete to tears and to shame and to an infantile state
05:53And that penalty shootout really had an impact that has lasted a very, very long time
05:58So dramatic
06:16Well, we're playing for England in the 1990 World Cup against Germany in the semi-finals
06:20Germany took the lead with a fluke
06:23Deflected goal from a free kick
06:25Hit Paul Parker and it just looped up over Peter Shilton
06:28So I managed to equalise with 10 minutes to go
06:31So it went to extra time
06:33Then it went to penalties
06:34Which was the first penalty shootout that England had been involved with at that stage
06:40And it was 3-3
06:43Both teams had scored their first three penalties
06:45I took the first one
06:46And then Platt and Beardsley scored as well
06:50And then sadly for us
06:52Stuart Pearce smashed one
06:54Hit the goalkeeper's legs or hip or something
06:57And then Chris Waddle blazed one high and wide
07:00And we were out
07:01And it was desolation
07:03I took two penalties in my whole life
07:24I scored one, I missed one
07:26But it's not a nice place to be
07:30Even in the Champions League final
07:32I was next
07:33If Anelka hadn't missed that penalty
07:36I was actually next
07:37And I was thinking
07:38My legs
07:39I was actually holding up
07:41I was being held up
07:42Because my legs were that shaky
07:43The initial reaction to penalty shootouts by players and teams would be as you would expect
08:00The winners thought it was a great idea
08:02And the losers would say
08:03This is really unfair
08:04But that really reached its peak in 1994
08:07When it was the World Cup final that was to be decided on a penalty shootout
08:11And this was the first time a final had been decided on penalties
08:15And we all know what happened
08:17Roberto Baggio kicked his penalty over the top of the crossbar
08:21Brazil won the World Cup
08:23The Italians, some of whom actually felt that it was an unfair way to decide such a big game
08:29Baggio was one of them
08:30He didn't want to be in that position
08:32And obviously be remembered for such a tragic moment
08:35But not all of Baggio's teammates agreed
08:37In fact, Daniele Massaro
08:39Who also missed a penalty in the shootout
08:42Said I'm still a fan of the shootout
08:44I can't think of anything fairer to decide a match between 11 players who cannot be decided
08:51Unless you use a penalty shootout
08:53Which is the ultimate test of nerve, skill and ability
08:58We go to penalties
09:08We sort the five guys who are about to take the penalties
09:13And I always like to go up first to try and get off to a good start
09:18But of course I'd taken a penalty in the 90 minutes against them
09:23So I was thinking what is the goalkeeper thinking
09:26Is he thinking I'm a goalie the same way
09:28Or am I going to change my mind and go to the opposite side
09:31I went to his right hand side high with the first penalty
09:36And I stuck to that
09:38And I thought you know what
09:39If I hit it hard enough
09:41And put it to where I want to go
09:43Then the keeper shouldn't stop it anyway
09:45Irrespective of whether he guesses right
09:47Fortunately it was the right decision
09:50But that walk from the halfway line to the penalty spot
09:54Is such a long walk
09:56And if you're not experienced then there's all sorts going through your mind
09:59Other players can change their mind at the last minute
10:02Which we've seen is fatal at times
10:05You can't do that
10:06It's the one thing you shouldn't do
10:07You should always stick to what you've practised
10:09And if you catch it right
10:11It should be in the back of the net
10:23My penalty kick against Portugal in 2006
10:26The difference for me in not being successful
10:29And generally I was pretty successful with penalties
10:31Was that I had worked so hard on practice
10:35Which is one thing, I always did that
10:37But what I did do was I had studied the Portuguese goalkeeper
10:40Studied his previous saves in his last games
10:43And decided to change my usual technique
10:46And I think the number one rule of penalties is
10:48Do not change what you're comfortable with
10:50Make the decision and stick to it
10:51I changed and he saved it
10:53Those who are successful in the moment
10:55To perform under pressure when it matters
10:57Have the capacity to stay centred
11:00Composed and focused in the moment
11:03The famous case of Perlow
11:06In the European Championships against England
11:08When such an amount of pressure was on that moment
11:12He chose to embrace the moment
11:14To be completely composed
11:16To watch, to see where the goalkeeper went
11:19And then placed the penalty straight down the middle
11:22With a little chip
11:24Supreme composure
11:26Steps into the moment
11:28Fully ready, prepared
11:29So, responding to those moments
11:32Is about how well an athlete can
11:35Stay in control of their emotions
11:38Stay in control of their thoughts
11:40And bring the energy back to themselves
11:43Instead of focusing on
11:45The potential distraction around the moment
11:51Having been involved in penalty shootouts
11:54Having taken penalties
11:55And of course, having watched penalty shootouts
11:58As a pundit
12:00I can tell
12:02Looking at someone
12:03With the walk
12:04With the body language
12:05With their look in their eyes
12:07When they're walking to take that penalty
12:10When they place it on the spot
12:11When they take their four or five yards walk back
12:14And then they turn around
12:15You can tell
12:16Whether they're feeling confident
12:17And whether they're going to score or not
12:19The important thing
12:20Is for me
12:21I had a technique
12:22That I used to practice
12:2330, 40, 50 penalties
12:24Every single day
12:25And I would only practice the penalty
12:26That I was going to hit in a match
12:28So, by doing that
12:30People always say
12:32Yeah, but you practice
12:33But it's not the same under pressure
12:34Of course it's not the same under pressure
12:35But if you've got repetition
12:37And repetition
12:38And you can trust your technique
12:40That will help you
12:41Even if it's a small percentage
12:43It cometh that moment
12:45You know
12:46If golfers never practice their putting
12:48Well, because it's different
12:50Come the tournament
12:51Well, that makes no sense at all
12:53In the World Cup
12:542014 in Brazil
12:56Quarter-final
12:59Holland, I guess
13:01Costa Rica
13:02And Van Gaal decided to
13:05To put me on
13:06For the penalties
13:08So, it was extra time at the time
13:11And he decided to change me
13:13For Jasper Silesse
13:15Because he had a lot of faith in me
13:18And he trusted me
13:19See me in training
13:20Saving a few penalties
13:21And yeah, he made a big gamble
13:24And he put me on
13:25Playing against Costa Rica
13:27No, it was planned before the game
13:28We've had a lot of meetings
13:30About penalties
13:31In front of them
13:32Before every game
13:33We analyze all the penalty-takers
13:36And before the game
13:39In the hotel
13:40The goalie coach pulled us
13:41And said
13:42There's a big chance
13:43If it goes to penalties
13:44You're going to come on
13:46Initially, I thought
13:47It was
13:48He wasn't really serious
13:49I thought
13:50It was more like
13:51You're doing well in training
13:52Keep it up
13:53And your chance will come
13:54But
13:55Ten minutes later
13:56He pulled me again
13:57He said
13:58Make sure you keep it quiet
13:59But there's a massive chance
14:00We've got a lot of faith in you
14:15When it got to extra time
14:16The nerves really started kicking in
14:17And
14:18The realization of
14:19It actually could happen
14:20Yeah
14:22It was weird
14:23It was really weird
14:24But really exciting
14:25And then I started my warm-up
14:27With
14:28Ten minutes to go
14:29And
14:30I had
14:31Yeah
14:32I got the call
14:33To get changed
14:34And come on
14:35And
14:36Then you realize
14:37How big the stage is
14:38To come on
14:39Into the World Cup
14:40Playing for your country
14:41We analyzed it
14:42Because
14:43Costa Rica
14:44Had a penalty shootout
14:46In the game before
14:47But
14:48In
14:49The shootout
14:50Against us
14:51They all went
14:52Different way
14:53For me personally
14:54I could see it in their eyes
14:55The two are safe
14:56Were really nervous
14:57You could see the pressure
14:58Was getting to them
14:59And
15:00The other two
15:01Looked at me
15:02With a smile
15:03So
15:04They were quite
15:05More confident
15:06In their
15:07In their qualities
15:08If you're the kick taker
15:22You are in control
15:23Of that movement
15:24You're in control
15:25Of that kick
15:26So if your perspective
15:28So if your perspective is
15:29I am in control
15:30You're much more likely
15:31To be successful
15:33If you believe that
15:34The goalkeeper
15:35On the other hand
15:36Stands a better chance
15:37Than you
15:38You're likely to be anxious
15:39The truth is
15:40The ball is the same size
15:41The goal is the same size
15:43And athletes that are confident
15:44Taking penalties
15:45In that moment
15:46Are normally the ones
15:47That have practiced
15:48And rehearsed
15:49And have a routine
15:50To stay anchored
15:51In the moment
15:52To avoid distraction
15:54To avoid anxiety
15:55Hazard
15:56In the FA Cup Final
15:57Versus
15:58Manchester United
15:59At Wembley
16:00Almost for an instant
16:02Just nanosecond
16:03Looks up
16:04Looks to the left hand side
16:05Tricks the goalkeeper
16:06De Gea
16:07Goes to the right hand side
16:08It's a very subtle
16:09Art
16:10Of saying that
16:12I'm in control
16:13And I'm going to force you
16:15To go the wrong way
16:16Stay completely composed
16:18And pick my moment
16:19That's elite performance
16:21That's elite mindset
16:22I've never seen that before
16:23In my whole career
16:24When I first faced
16:25I think it was
16:27Hazard first
16:28And I was still in the middle
16:29Waiting for him
16:30To put his head down
16:31To react
16:32And it was already
16:33In the back of the net
16:34So yeah
16:35It's definitely experience
16:37It's definitely
16:38The experience
16:41Where you see moments
16:43Happen again
16:44And patterns
16:45I was expecting my favourite anecdotes
17:01In the book
17:02To come from players
17:03Who had missed penalties
17:04Because that's where the stories are
17:06Of tragedy
17:07Of loss
17:08Almost of trauma
17:09As well
17:10Stories like Miroslav Djokic
17:12Who missed a penalty
17:14For Deportivo La Corina
17:15In the last minute
17:16Of the 1994 La Liga season
17:18That would have won Depor
17:19The league title
17:20Or Martin Palermo
17:22Who missed three penalties
17:23For Argentina
17:24In one game
17:25Against Colombia
17:26Diego Maradona
17:27Said about him afterwards
17:28That he was the bravest player
17:30On the pitch
17:31Because he'd already missed two penalties
17:33And you need serious balls
17:34If you've missed two penalties
17:36And you're still taking a third
17:38Those stories are amazing
17:39But for me
17:40The memorable stories
17:41Are of the players
17:42Who scored
17:43Against the odds almost
17:44And became heroes
17:45As a result
17:46Like Antonin Panenka
17:47In 1976
17:49Whose penalty
17:51Chipped penalty
17:52Down the middle of the goal
17:53Very slow
17:54Won Czechoslovakia
17:56The 1976 European Championship
17:59Panenka had been practising
18:00That penalty
18:01For two years
18:02Before he took it
18:03And he told me
18:04That had he missed that penalty
18:05He would have been punished
18:07He thinks he would have spent
18:09The rest of his life
18:10Down the mines
18:11Enormous courage
18:12Spontaneity
18:14But also hard work
18:16And effort
18:17Went into that one penalty
18:18I also like the penalty
18:19That Brandy Chastain took
18:21To win the 1999
18:23Women's World Cup
18:24For the USA
18:25It was a pivotal moment
18:27In the development
18:28Of women's football
18:29In that country
18:30And around the world
18:31So the impact of that
18:32Was enormous
18:33Was enormous
18:34Those two penalties
18:35Those two penalties
18:36Really had an impact
18:37Beyond just that penalty
18:38Itself
18:39Taking the penalty
18:51Taking the penalty
18:52In a World Cup shootout
18:53Is the ultimate test
18:55Of nerve
18:56Dealing with pressure
18:57In football
18:58It's our moment of glory
19:00Progress to the next round
19:01In such a big tournament
19:03Yeah it's the pinnacle
19:05Obviously for a goalkeeper
19:07In terms of nerves
19:08Dealing with nerves
19:09And pressure
19:10It is the big moment
19:11In a footballer's life
19:12But if you practice
19:14And you stick to what you've worked at
19:16And practice
19:17And have the belief
19:18And that is a huge thing
19:19When you're taking penalties
19:20Belief and confidence
19:21And if you've done your homework
19:23You should know
19:24Where the goalkeeper
19:25That you're facing
19:26Has died for his last
19:27Five or ten penalties
19:28Have you taken a penalty
19:29Against him before
19:30If so where did you put it
19:31Did you score
19:32Where did he go
19:33You should know all of that
19:34You should be prepared
19:35But being prepared
19:36Is one thing
19:37Knowing where he's going to go
19:38And what you want to do
19:40The execution obviously
19:42Is the big thing
19:43And that is where
19:44Your practice comes in
19:45You've got to relish that moment
19:46That's the most important thing for me
19:48Is this is a chance
19:50To show the world
19:51That you've got
19:52A massive amount of bottle
19:54And the chance to show off
19:56Is something that mere mortals
19:57Never get the chance to do
19:59In that sort of position
20:00So just get it done
20:02So just get it done
20:30Check out
20:31In that sort of position
20:32To show off
20:48So let's get it done
20:49If you go first
20:50If you look into the provision
20:51It will and save it
20:52To 근데
20:53Tell you
20:54Go first
20:55Get bib проблем
20:56Wheel VO