In short
A BBC World Service documentary on the history and psychology of penalty shootouts, from early “lots”/coin tosses to modern FIFA adoption, and why penalties create extreme anxiety and drama.
Guests (backgrounds)
- Amanda Lamini, former captain of South Africa Women’s National Team (2011–2013), now sports broadcaster.
- Ben Littleton, football journalist; author of 12 Yards: The Art and Psychology of the Perfect Penalty.
- Yosef Dagan, Israeli FIFA official credited with proposing the shootout idea (early 1970s).
- Norma Temansibande, defender at JVW Football Club; trusted penalty taker.
- Gabriela Mudli Salgado, South African international midfielder.
- Dr. Adrian Sabadic, Hungarian sports psychologist (works with West Ham United women).
- Alexia Kassar, head coach of JVW first team.
- Andres Cantor, Telemundo lead commentator.
- Ronwyn Williams, South Africa goalkeeper (Africa Cup of Nations 2024: 4 saves in 5).
Key claims
- Shootouts aren’t “lottery” if practiced; anxiety rises with perceived uncertainty and rushing.
- Goalkeeper movement and attention shifts can cause poor aim (kicking toward where the keeper is looking).
- Team resilience, routines, and celebration can influence outcomes.
- Goalkeepers can disrupt via tactics; mental togetherness matters.
Notable examples
- 1976 Euro final: Antonin Panenka’s slow central chip (“Panenka” penalty).
- 1982 World Cup semi-final: Uli Stielicke’s saved penalty; emotional collapse.
- 1994 men’s World Cup final: Roberto Baggio’s missed decisive penalty.
- 1999 Women’s World Cup final: Brandi Chastain scores after being told to take it left-footed.
- 2022 World Cup final: Argentina win on penalties; Emi Martínez saves and distracts.
- 2024 AFCON quarterfinal: Ronwyn Williams saves 4/5 penalties.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOThe Basics of Penalty Shootouts
2:44 to 4:34
Learn how penalty shootouts work in football and their historical context.
“We see all human life in a penalty shootout.”
History of the Penalty Shootout
4:34 to 6:17
Discover the evolution of penalty shootouts from coin tosses to current practices.
“when matches were tied, were decided by lots or a coin toss.”
The Iconic Panenka Penalty
6:17 to 7:30
Understand the significance of Antonin Panenka's famous penalty technique.
“And what the Germans didn't know is that he had been practicing a specific penalty for this moment for the last two years.”
Players’ Perspectives on Penalties
7:30 to 9:29
Get insights from players on how they prepare for and handle the pressure of penalties.
“I scored penalties in shootouts, and I also missed them.”
The Psychology Behind Penalty Anxiety
9:29 to 14:00
Explore how anxiety affects players during penalty shootouts and the importance of mental preparation.
“so that game situations become more relaxed.”
The Mental Game of Penalty Shootouts
14:00 to 15:26
Learn how anxiety affects players during penalty shootouts and the importance of mental preparation.
“I wish I really had this kind of insight growing up as a young girl, but we never really had much of practice where set pieces are concerned or penalties.”
Agony and Ecstasy in Penalty History
16:00 to 19:43
Explore iconic moments in penalty shootout history and their contrasting emotions.
“How did a boycott Jimmy become a billionaire from posting videos?”
The Role of Coaches in Penalty Situations
19:43 to 21:03
Understand how coaching decisions impact players during critical moments.
“Brandy's coach had given her that last-minute advice on how to take a spot kick.”
Team Dynamics During Penalty Shootouts
21:03 to 25:01
Learn about the importance of team support and mental strength in penalties.
“Adrian Sopadich believes that although the shootout is down to individuals, mentally teammates can be a big help.”
The Future of Penalty Shootouts
25:01 to 28:03
Discuss potential alternatives to traditional penalty shootouts in football.
“The shootout is a chance for a goalkeeper to have main character energy, which Martinez and D 'Artili has, and to be able to, as he put it, create chaos among the opponents.”
Show all 11 chapters
The Drama of Penalty Shootouts
28:03 to 28:34
Explore the emotional highs and lows of penalty shootouts in football.
“just a ball, a goal, a shooter and a goalkeeper.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Nomathemba Ntsibande:This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK.
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1:08Ben Lyttleton:As you stand on the halfway line with your teammates, the nerves begin to build. It's your turn to make that long, lonely walk, and the voices in your head start to get louder. You put the ball on the spot, take a deep breath and decide where you're going to kick it.
1:38Ben Lyttleton:I'm Amanda Lamini. I was the captain of the South African Women's National Football Team between 2011 and 2013. And now I work as a sports broadcaster. and this summer two major international football tournaments are taking place. It's the Women's African Cup of Nations in Morocco and the Men's World Cup, the biggest there has ever been in the USA, Mexico and Canada. And this programme is all about the part of the game which used to terrify me, the penalty shootout.
2:09Nomathemba Ntsibande:The penalty kick is football in its purest form, just a ball, a goal, a shooter and a goalkeeper.
2:17Ben Lyttleton:We'll hear from players.
2:18Amanda Dlamini:I remember taking one at the WAFCON. It was very nerve-wracking. But once it hits the back of the net, the feeling's amazing.
2:26Ben Lyttleton:And we'll ask why penalties put such psychological pressure on players. And we'll hear from a commentator who saw his team win the World Cup four years ago. Of course, I let go of my emotions at the end because after 36 years, Argentina had won the World Cup. From the BBC World Service, this is the documentary. Agony and Ecstasy. A history of the penalty shootout.
2:52Nomathemba Ntsibande:We see all human life in a penalty shootout. Joy, sadness, heroes, villains, drama, excitement, euphoria, tears.
3:03Dr Adrienn Szabadics:Penalties are very scary. For some weird reason, you see the goalkeeper as a big object and suddenly the goals are small.
3:12Amanda Dlamini:Penalties are one of the things that we worked on a lot because you can always end up in a penalty shootout.
3:17Dr Adrienn Szabadics:It brings that drama, it brings that thrill. Everyone is on the edge of their seats and that's what makes it special. Took a deep breath and waited for the whistle. And the next thing you know, the stadium erupted.
3:31Ben Lyttleton:To get us started, let's go back to the basics. A penalty is a free shot at goal from 11 metres, where the goalkeeper attempts to stop the ball from going into the net. A penalty shootout is used to decide the result of tied games in knockout football tournaments, and with that stage of the World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada fast approaching, they'll soon be watched by billions of fans around the world. Penalties are only used if both teams are tied after the regular 90 minutes, and then usually an extra time of 30 minutes. Both teams take five penalties each. If they're still tired after those five penalties, then they carry on.
4:10Ben Lyttleton:But in sudden death, if you miss, you lose. They're a source of huge anxiety and excitement for players and fans. And they've been the final acts of great football matches throughout history, including the last World Cup final when Argentina were crowned champions of the world for the third time. But how did football settle on this method to decide the winner of tied knockout games?
4:33Nomathemba Ntsibande:During the 50s and 60s, a lot of knockout tournament competitions, when matches were tied, were decided by lots or a coin toss. And that was seen as unfair, usually by the losing team. So people were looking for solutions to make it a bit fairer.
4:53Ben Lyttleton:Ben Littleton is a football journalist who wrote the book 12 Yards. The Art and Psychology of the Perfect Penalty. He's our guide through penalty shootout history.
5:02Nomathemba Ntsibande:Actually, an Israeli official who worked for FIFA was the first person to put the suggestion to a proposal in front of the FIFA board, and that was passed in the early 1970s.
5:15Ben Lyttleton:That Israeli official was Yosef Dagan, who came up with the idea after watching Israel lose their 1968 Olympic quarterfinal after lots were drawn out of a huge sombrero. Some of the options that have been used in the past include counting corners or using a golden goal in extra time, where as soon as you score, you win the game. But we're not here to talk about those. We're here to discuss penalties.
5:42Nomathemba Ntsibande:The first one in England was in 1970 in the Watney Cup semi-final when Manchester United beat Hull City. But then we saw it used more in international tournaments And the first use, most famously, was in the 1976 final of the European Championships.
6:01Ben Lyttleton:The final of that tournament, which was contested by West Germany and Czechoslovakia, isn't just significant for hosting the first international penalty shootout either. Because in that shootout, one player would do something remarkable.
6:16Nomathemba Ntsibande:A Czech midfield playmaker called Antonin Panenka had a penalty to win the tournament. And so he stepped up. And what the Germans didn't know is that he had been practicing a specific penalty for this moment for the last two years.
6:36Ben Lyttleton:Panenka had noticed that goalkeepers didn't stand still when trying to save a penalty. They either dived left or right.
6:43Nomathemba Ntsibande:so he worked on a technique that involved kicking the ball down the centre of the goal but not with speed or power but with trickery so it would be a looping slow lob down the middle of the goal and he ran up to the ball at speed which was key he thinks to succeeding in this technique as he met the ball he chipped it very slowly down the middle of the goal for probably one of the most iconic and famous penalties of all time. Which we all know now took on his name, the Panenka.
7:21Ben Lyttleton:Many players have tried to copy Panenka over the years, but they weren't all as successful as him. It was never my choice of a penalty in a shootout. It looks great when you score, but pretty foolish when you miss. I scored penalties in shootouts, and I also missed them. and so I want to get an insight into how other players prepare for them. So I've gone to find some. We're down in Johannesburg at Bedford View this evening. Took a nice drive, 45 minutes, to come and see JVW. This is where I used to play some of my football and tonight I'll be chatting to the head coach and a couple of players just on their opinions on penalty shootouts.
8:03Ben Lyttleton:our worst nightmare, but also the ecstasy and hype for every individual and fan who's watching.
8:10Dr Adrienn Szabadics:My name is Norma Temansibande. I'm a defender at JVW Football Club.
8:15Ben Lyttleton:Norma, you quickly earned yourself the ability of being one of the most trusted penalty takers. Why and how? The more confident you are, the more composed you'll be.
8:25Dr Adrienn Szabadics:And that's exactly what I do even when I take my penalties. I just try and compose myself and I pick a spot. and whatever I decide, I just do that.
8:34Ben Lyttleton:You're never in a rush. How do you do it? You almost wait for a goalkeeper to choose a side. What goes through your mind during that time?
8:42Dr Adrienn Szabadics:I think it's scary, actually. The penalties are very scary. For some weird reason, you see the goalkeeper as a big object and these small goals. Suddenly the goals are small. But the run-up is very slow because I'm calculating. If I feel that the goalkeeper is more on the one side, then I try to go the opposite side and make sure that I just take a shot on that side. And most of the time it goes in.
9:09Ben Lyttleton:I also spoke to one of my favorite players in South African football, international midfielder Gabriela Mudli Salgado.
9:16Amanda Dlamini:I don't think anyone enjoys a penalty, but when the moment comes, you need someone that's going to rise up to the challenge and be brave to take on the penalty. As we all know, it's 50-50, anything can happen. But preparing is practice, practicing after training, before training, so that game situations become more relaxed. I remember taking one at the WAFCON, very nerve-breaking. But once it hits the back of the net, the feeling's amazing. So it's just keeping that moment, knowing when you take the next one, go back into that space, blocking out the noise. And just you and that goalkeeper, anything can happen.
9:57The idea that penalties are lottery or that anything can happen is a theory that has been
10:02Ben Lyttleton:around since shootouts began. Ben Littleton says it was a mindset that cost the England men's national side time and time again.
10:12Nomathemba Ntsibande:And I think about the England coaches who spoke after England lost seven out of their first eight penalty shootouts and they all said pretty much the same thing. There's nothing we can do about it. We're just a bit unlucky. And that changed when Gareth Southgate became England coach. And the reason that changed is because Southgate himself had gone through what it feels like to not only be on the losing side of a shootout, which he was in 1996, but also to miss the decisive penalty. So then when Southgate prepared England for the 2018 World Cup and they had a shootout against Colombia, they won it.
10:51Nomathemba Ntsibande:And it was the first time they'd won a World Cup shootout. And the reason they won it was because the England team stopped saying this is a lottery even before the game. Gareth Southgate said, we've practiced penalties. We know what to expect. We're prepared for this.
11:09Ben Lyttleton:But even with practice, the experience is still nerve-wracking. The first World Cup penalty shootout showed the world the impact they could have on players.
11:18Nomathemba Ntsibande:It was in the 1982 World Cup semi-final between France and West Germany. And this was a shootout that was watched by millions of people all over the world. And it was in colour so we could see it all in its full glory. And that really ended the debate about whether penalty shootouts were a good idea. We saw a German player, Uli Stielicke, step up strong, defensive player, step up and take a penalty and his penalty was saved. And the response from the player to that penalty save was really curious, interesting and very different because as soon as his penalty was saved, he fell to the ground and curled up in a ball.
12:02And what we saw from that moment
Read the full transcript
12:05Nomathemba Ntsibande:was that the power of the penalty is enormous. It can reduce an elite athlete playing in a World Cup semi-final to a childlike, infantile state.
12:18Ben Lyttleton:But why does it cause so much pressure on players? We're professionals being asked to do something most of us practice every day. Before you take a penalty in a shootout, you stand on the halfway line with your teammates, often arm in arm. When it is your turn, you have to make that long walk to the penalty area to take your shot. For me, this is when the voices get louder and louder in my head. That 30 or so metres to the penalty area felt much longer. Dr. Adrian Sabadic is a Hungarian sports psychologist and works with the English women's Super League club West Ham United.
12:54Amanda Dlamini:So there are a number of reasons why penalty shootouts create stress and anxiety for players.
13:00Ben Lyttleton:She began working in women's football whilst researching how to improve team resilience. So she seems like the perfect person to ask why it affects me and so many other players.
13:09Amanda Dlamini:I think first it's an extremely high pressure situation, often with millions of people watching and judging a single action. So if a player has lower confidence in their ability and or sees the penalties as more of a lottery than a skill, that uncertainty tends to increase anxiety.
13:35Ben Lyttleton:There's that word lottery again.
13:37Amanda Dlamini:Now that anxiety can show up in behaviours like rushing, almost wanting to get the moment over with. And interestingly, research supports that. Players who take less than a second after the whistle score at around 60%, whereas those who take a bit more time increase that to roughly 80%. percent. Anxiety can also affect attention because under pressure players are more likely to become distracted by the goalkeeper who might be moving and trying to disrupt them which we see on TV all the time and when attention shifts like that players are actually more likely to kick towards where they're looking so if the goalkeeper has their attention players are much more likely to kicked the ball and hit the goalkeeper, ultimately resulting in the goal being saved.
14:36Ben Lyttleton:I wish I really had this kind of insight growing up as a young girl, but we never really had much of practice where set pieces are concerned or penalties. So when you walk up to a penalty, the coach would just say, I trust you, you got this. But there was never really mental preparation or how it is to develop that skill.
14:54Amanda Dlamini:Any team or any player that will prepare for the penalty shootout will have an advantage over a team or just a player that doesn't train for them directly. So it does start with training for it physically and mentally as well. And mentally could be done by developing a pre-performance routine. They can be really powerful in supporting the athletes to feel under control.
15:22Ben Lyttleton:You're listening to the documentary from the BBC World Service. This is Agony and Ecstasy, a history of the penalty shootout.
15:51Dr Adrienn Szabadics:2016, the country's been wracked with political instability. When will it end? For more, listen to The Global Story on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts. How did a boycott Jimmy become a billionaire from posting videos? On Good Bad Billionaire, we're going to find out how the world's most popular YouTuber, Mr Beast, made his fortune. He's buried himself in a coffin for days. Counted to 100 ,000 on camera. And even recreated Squid Games, all in an attempt to go viral on the internet. But it all started when he gave a homeless man$10 ,000. So is he a philanthropist reshaping capitalism? Or is he just the king of the attention economy?
16:28Dr Adrienn Szabadics:Find out on Good Bad Billionaire from the BBC World Service. Listen now wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
16:38Ben Lyttleton:Whilst the penalty shootout might not be a lottery, it can be a leveller. The likes of Argentina's Lionel Messi, Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo and USA's Collie Lloyd have all missed in shootouts. One story of a world-class player missing a penalty at a crucial moment takes us to one of the host nations at this year's World Cup. In the 1990s, the men's and women's tournaments were held in the United States. During those competitions, two photos were taken at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California. Both were taken after the fifth player took a penalty in a shootout. They sum up the agony and the ecstasy.
17:18Ben Lyttleton:Ben Littleton again.
17:21Nomathemba Ntsibande:Baggio, I would say, is the most infamous penalty in World Cup history for a few reasons. One is because he was the best player in the world at the time and he had dragged Italy almost single-handedly into the final. And Baggio had the penalty that he needed to score for Italy to avoid defeat. So what did Baggio do? Well, Baggio, by the way, whose penalty record was really, really good before this moment. He'd scored loads of penalties for Italy before. He'd scored big penalties. But on this occasion, and still to this day, he doesn't know how it happened, he blasted the penalty over the crossbar.
18:04Nomathemba Ntsibande:And one of the most iconic images in all of football is of him standing on the penalty spot with his hands on his hips, looking down at the spot as the ball sails over the crossbar and the Brazilian goalkeeper Claudio Taffarel on his knees with his hands raised in relief and euphoria.
18:25Ben Lyttleton:Five years later, the Women's World Cup final took place when the USA faced China. It was almost a mirror image of the men's final in 1994. A tepid no-no draw played in hot weather in front of more than 90 ,000 fans. Brandi Chastain, the U.S. defender, went to take the last penalty, knowing if she scored, then her team would win the World Cup.
18:49Dr Adrienn Szabadics:The head coach, Tony Jishiko, came over and he said, OK, he put his hand on my shoulder and I'll never forget that. And he said, you're going to take a penalty kick. And I said, yep, I got it. And he said, well, you're going to take it left-footed. And then he literally sped off. I'd never taken a penalty with my left foot in a game before. Never in a match. And certainly not a World Cup final. And certainly not in front of 90 ,000 people. Took a deep breath and waited for the whistle. And as Pertoni told me, I took it with my left foot. And the next thing you know, the stadium erupted.
19:27Ben Lyttleton:Brandi whoops off her jersey, falls to her knees, arms raised in triumph. her mouth open, screaming in delight as her teammates sprint towards her. Two penalties, five years apart, with two completely contrasting reactions, the agony versus the ecstasy. Brandy's coach had given her that last-minute advice on how to take a spot kick. So how much of a role do the coaches have?
19:53Amanda Dlamini:My name's Alexia Kassar, the current head coach of the JVW first team. It's a make or break. I think there's so much pressure that lies within one player, maybe two, goalkeeper and the person taking the penalty. But yeah, it's a game decider. So I think it's something that obviously triggers players. And if they don't have resilience, it impacts them mentally for a long time after.
20:21Ben Lyttleton:Alexia knows all about losing finals on penalties. It's something that has happened to her twice with JVW. you? We lost it on one penalty and it was actually one of our most experienced players.
20:32Amanda Dlamini:It got saved and it's heartbreaking because it's that final straw you know you've got one hand on the trophy and it gets snatched away from you so quickly so I mean that stands out a lot in my mind and I think it's something that I always make sure to practice going into tournaments to know to be able to trust smart players, when they need to step up, they'll step up.
20:56Ben Lyttleton:With the Men's World Cup ongoing and the Women's Africa Cup of Nations later this summer, I bet players are practicing penalties as we speak. Dr. Adrian Sopadich believes that although the shootout is down to individuals, mentally teammates can be a big help.
21:13Amanda Dlamini:Nowadays you see some players have penalty protectors, So actually you may not walk to the line alone or you have the goalkeeper or someone else that you trust pass the ball to. All of those things can ease the anxiety. Research shows that when teams celebrate successful penalties, it not only boosts their own players, but can also increase pressure on the opposition. So it's so important for the team to draw upon each other's emotional states and take notice of these emotional cues.
21:53Ben Lyttleton:In the final of the Men's World Cup in 2022, there was a great show of mental togetherness and resilience. The match is considered one of the best finals of all time and saw Lionel Messi's Argentina crowned champions. After 90 minutes, Argentina and France were tied at two goals each after a stunning comeback from the French in the second half. After 30 minutes of extra time, it was 3-3. And so it was penalties that would decide who would become world champions.
22:28Gabriela Moodaly‑Salgado:It was definitely a rollercoaster of emotions.
22:31Ben Lyttleton:That's Andres Cantor, the lead commentator for Telemundo, the Spanish-speaking network in the US. You might know him from his viral clips doing this. Every time a goal is scored.
22:48Ben Lyttleton:He's Argentinian, so he was even more invested in the final than usual. And social media clips of him breaking down in tears, calling Argentina's winning penalty, were seen around the world.
23:02Gabriela Moodaly‑Salgado:Going to penalty shootout, regardless whether it's a World Cup final, a Champions League final, a semi-final, whatever. It takes a lot of mental strength on the player's side to keep the composure, not get nervous at the circumstance. I couldn't think that Argentina had any better chance than France because if you ask me, and this is just my personal opinion, I probably thought that the Argentinian players were beaten because they outplayed France for 77 minutes, and here we are after going up 3-2 in the overtime. and having been tied 3-3 and the goalkeeper saving what he saved in the next to last play of the match.
23:45Ben Lyttleton:Imagine feeling the anxiety of watching your country go into a penalty shootout to win the World Cup. But at the same time, you have to commentate on it for millions of people.
23:55Gabriela Moodaly‑Salgado:Every time I get to call an Argentinian game, it's probably the toughest assignment that I have. I am broadcasting in Spanish to 26 different nationalities that speak the same language. I'm not necessarily all Argentinians or want Argentina to win. So I have to do double the effort and be extra careful with every word that comes out of my mouth. And the compliments were that I was very even-sided. it and of course I let go of my emotions at the end because after 36 years Argentina had wanted to woke up but that was the biggest compliment that I received other than all the accolades because of the viral video.
24:42Ben Lyttleton:The Argentinian goalkeeper Emi Martinez was crucial to his side's victory. He saved one penalty and his distraction antics are credited with causing France to miss another. Remember what Dr. Adrian told us earlier? When the goalkeeper tries to disrupt the shooter, it can have a big impact. And of course, Ben Litterton enjoyed that final as well.
25:04Nomathemba Ntsibande:The shootout is a chance for a goalkeeper to have main character energy, which Martinez and D 'Artili has, and to be able to, as he put it, create chaos among the opponents. So before France took their second penalty, he went up to the penalty spot and started talking to Kingsley Koeman who was taking the penalty. He was delaying the kick to put pressure on Koeman. He was asking the referee to check that the ball was on the spot. And then he saved the penalty and did this elaborate dance that got everyone going.
25:35Ben Lyttleton:Four years on, a goalkeeper who'll be wanting to show his main character energy at this year's World Cup is South Africa's number one, Ronwyn Williams. In the quarterfinals of the Africa Cup of Nations in 2024, he saved four out of five penalties against Ketford.
25:52Dr Adrienn Szabadics:After that, there was so much talk about me and so many doors open for me because that was my moment to shine. And as goalkeepers, they like to isolate us from the players. But for me, that was a moment to stand out and you try and put all the pressure on the kicker because I think it's more for him to miss. You try and put all the pressure on him. You try and get in his head. You just try and make it so uncomfortable for you because, I mean, the goal is so big and they should score. But you just try and, you know, just give yourself that extra 10 % that you can save it. And a lot of keepers are doing extremely well now because I think the analysis, it helps so much.
26:38Ben Lyttleton:We've heard about the drama, the pressure, the agony and the ecstasy of the penalty shootout. But is it the best way to settle tight games of knockout football? In 2012, the then FIFA president Sepp Lautzer said he wanted an alternative to what he called the tragedy of penalty shootouts. It was an announcement that ultimately led to nothing. So what could be the alternative? Counting corners maybe? Should it be next goal wins in a never-ending extra time? Or should we even consider adapting the penalty to add a defender to make it harder to score? I wonder what our guests think.
27:14Amanda Dlamini:On FIFA, always we like golden goal. That'll be sick. And it's just, let's get on with the game. We want the winner. And I feel like in that few minutes, we put everything in. Because whoever scores wins. So you're either attacking wholeheartedly or you're defending you on the back foot. I think it would be really interesting and it would spice the game up a bit.
27:33Dr Adrienn Szabadics:We all love penalty shootouts and the drama that it brings. If I could change anything, it would probably be the extra time. You don't want to play another 30 minutes.
27:42Gabriela Moodaly‑Salgado:It's the eternal dilemma, isn't it? I don't have any other solution, honestly. I don't know what would be fair or what wouldn't be fair.
27:51Nomathemba Ntsibande:You're basically asking a penalty specialist and penalty coach if there's something better than penalties. So clearly, I would say there isn't. The penalty kick is football in its purest form, just a ball, a goal, a shooter and a goalkeeper. So what could be more dramatic than that?
28:09Ben Lyttleton:So no clear consensus there. Whilst it was something I personally hated as a player, it does deliver drama and excitement. and there is an argument that the shootout is something that even non-football fans love. As the knockout phase of this year's World Cup draws closer, there will be fans around the world watching through their fingers as brave players step up to play their part in the dreaded penalty shootout. What is certain is that half of them will be in agony and half will be in ecstasy. I'm Amanda Lamini and you've been listening to the documentary from the BBC World Service. It was produced by Tim O 'Callaghan and the technical producer was Cameron Ward.
28:53Ben Lyttleton:Thanks for listening.
From the publisher
As the knockout stage of the men’s World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the USA draws closer, so too does the dreaded penalty shootout. Why do penalties bring so much drama and anxiety to both players and fans when they are used to decide tied games in knockout football? Former South African captain Amanda Dlamini looks back at the history of the shootout with penalty expert and author Ben Lyttleton. South African internationals Nomathemba Ntsibande and Gabriela Moodaly‑Salgado take us through their penalty routines, while West Ham United Women’s sport psychologist Dr Adrienn Szabadics explains the psychology behind the penalty shootout. We hear from 1999 Women’s World Cup winner Brandi Chastain about her winning penalty at that tournament. The coach of Amanda’s former club JVW, in Johannesburg, Alexia Cassar, tells us about the role coaches play in preparing for shootouts. Finally, commentator Andrés Cantor reminisces about the 2022 World Cup final, while South Africa goalkeeper and captain Ronwen Williams, who is playing in this year’s World Cup, gives us an insight into how he once saved four out of five penalties in a single shootout.
