Is there a right time for a Panenka - as Brentford pay the price?

1 hour ago 1
Chattythat Icon

In the 50 years since Panenka brought the dinked penalty to prominence, it has gradually become more common.

A number of top players, including Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry and Francesco Totti, have successfully used the technique from the spot.

France legend Zinedine Zidane has a claim for taking the most high-pressure Panenka, in the 2006 World Cup final with his penalty hitting the underside of the crossbar and just crossing the line.

It's probably not what he is most remembered for that night, though.

England have suffered at the hands of the Panenka a couple of times in shootouts, most famously when Italy midfielder Andrea Pirlo nonchalantly beat Joe Hart to change the momentum of the shootout in the Euro 2012 quarter-final.

"For me, Hart seemed to be very confident in himself," Pirlo said. "I needed to do something to beat him.

"Penalties are a very personal thing but, when I saw him move, I decided to do that. It seemed to be a psychological blow for us."

Similarly in the 2022 EFL Cup final, with Chelsea keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga making a show of trying to distract the Liverpool players, Fabinho responded by calmly dinking his kick down the middle, much to the delight of the Reds fans behind the goal.

A psychological blow? Well, every Liverpool player proceeded to score as they won 11-10 on penalties.

But for all the notable successes, Ouattara is not the first high-profile miss.

In 1992, Gary Lineker had the chance to match Sir Bobby Charlton's 49 goals for England in a friendly against Brazil but fluffed his attempted Panenka and ended up one shy of the then-record.

Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero was usually pretty reliable from the spot but was made to look foolish when he attempted a Panenka in May 2021 as Chelsea went on to win 2-1 after the penalty save from Edouard Mendy.

In January, Brahim Diaz attempted a Panenka to win the Africa Cup of Nations in stoppage time for Morocco. His effort was saved and Senegal emerged champions.

Read Entire Article