All you need to know about penalty shootouts
A penalty shootout is the ultimate test of nerve and skill in football, often deciding high stakes matches when teams remain deadlocked after extra time. Each team takes turns from the penalty spot, 12 yards from goal, with only the goalkeeper standing in the way. The standard format allows five attempts per side, but if the score remains tied, sudden death ensues—where one miss can mean heartbreak.
Some of the greatest moments in football history have come from penalty shootouts. In the 2006 FIFA World Cup final, Italy defeated France 5-3 in a dramatic shootout, remembered for Fabio Grosso’s winning strike and Zinedine Zidane’s absence after his infamous red card. Similarly, in the 1994 World Cup final, Roberto Baggio’s heartbreaking miss handed Brazil the trophy over Italy.
Africa has also witnessed legendary penalty shootout moments. In 1996, South Africa won their first Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) on home soil, with goalkeeper Andre Arendse playing a crucial role in their historic triumph.
One of the most painful shootout defeats came in 2012, when Côte d’Ivoire, despite having Didier Drogba, lost the AFCON final to Zambia. Zambian goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene put on a masterclass, even scoring his own penalty, leading his team to an emotional victory in honour of the 1993 plane crash victims.
Egypt, the most successful AFCON team, has thrived in shootouts. In 2006, they defeated Côte d’Ivoire in the final, with Essam El-Hadary making stunning saves. In 2021, Senegal’s Sadio Mané redeemed himself after an earlier miss in the game to score the winning penalty against Egypt, securing his country’s first-ever AFCON title.
Penalty shootouts are a brutal mix of pressure, precision, and psychology. Legends are made, and hearts are broken—all in a few tense kicks.
