Penalty taking and shoot-outs

The ball is placed twelve yards from the goal. All players except the kicker and the goalkeeper stay outside the penalty area and the arc on the edge of it. When the ball is kicked, the goalkeeper must have at least part of one foot touching, in line with, or behind the goal line.

In a match, the ball is live once the penalty is kicked and clearly moves. If the goalkeeper saves it or it rebounds back into play, other players can react. The kicker cannot touch the ball again until another player has touched it. In a penalty shoot-out, by contrast, the kick is treated as a single attempt.

Most teams have a designated penalty taker. They are not always the team's best player or the team's top scorer. The job goes to whoever has the best technique under pressure — a calm, accurate striker of the ball who does not panic in the moment. Many of the best penalty takers in football history were not necessarily the most flamboyant attackers; they were the most reliable.

The kicker's first decision is technique. The two main approaches are placement and power. A placement penalty aims for one of the corners with accuracy rather than force; a power penalty hits the ball hard, usually high or down the middle, relying on speed to beat the goalkeeper. Most top kickers favour one approach but can switch depending on the situation.

In a match, teammates and opponents wait outside the penalty area and can react once the ball is kicked. That makes rebounds important: a save, post or loose ball can create a second chance for either team.

Encroachment is managed by the referee and only matters if it affects the outcome. In a shoot-out, there is no normal follow-up phase. The kick either results in a goal or it does not.

Top goalkeepers research opposition penalty takers. They study previous penalties on video, looking for patterns — does this kicker prefer the left side or the right? Do they go for placement or power? Are they predictable enough to anticipate? Some kickers are repetitive enough that the goalkeeper knows where the shot will go before it is taken.

Beyond research, goalkeepers use psychological tactics. They can move along the goal line, but when the ball is kicked they must have at least part of one foot touching, in line with, or behind the goal line. They sometimes try to engage the kicker in conversation, delay the moment within the rules, or simply hold a long stare. The aim is to introduce any small distraction that might make the kicker hesitate.

A penalty shoot-out is used to decide a knockout match that has finished level after extra time. Each team takes five penalties, with the team that scores most winning. If the score is level after five each, the shoot-out goes to sudden death — one penalty each, with the first team to gain a lead winning the match.

Shoot-outs are a different test from in-match penalties. The match has already been played out, the players are tired, and the consequence of each kick is decisive. The pressure is more concentrated than at almost any other moment in football, even though the technical task is the same.

Most coaches prepare an order of penalty takers before the shoot-out begins, with their five strongest takers usually going first. Some prefer their most reliable taker first; others save the most reliable taker for the fifth — the kick most likely to be the decisive one if the shoot-out goes the distance.

Substitutes and players who have come on late in the game are sometimes asked to take the first penalty, because they have not played the full match and are physically fresher. The order also takes account of mental state — players who have just made a key mistake in the match are sometimes left out, while players who have been confident throughout are pushed up the order.

In a shoot-out, the goalkeeper is on television for every kick, and any save is a major moment. Goalkeepers prepare specifically for shoot-outs, with research on opposition kickers and a clear plan for which way to dive against each one. Some goalkeepers carry notes on their water bottle or under their shorts with reminders for each kicker.

Gamesmanship is also more visible in a shoot-out. Goalkeepers have more time to walk towards the kicker, to engage in slow movements before settling on the line, or to draw out the moment before each kick. Within the rules, this kind of behaviour is allowed, and it can have a real effect on the kicker's concentration.