England and the Republic of Ireland are among the losers of the World Cup's worst penalty shootouts
Japan and Spain were terrible when they were put on the spot in Qatar. A look back at the worst shots on goal in World Cup history. Even Maradona felt the pressure…
Japan were knocked out of the World Cup in anti-climactic fashion after missing three kicks in a chaotic shootout with Croatia, then Spain suffered the same fate against Morocco. It was the 31st and 32nd games in a World Cup final to go to penalties and the eighth and ninth in which at least half of the attempts failed.
Here are the other miserable shootouts in which at least half of the penalties were saved or missed…
1990 quarter-finals: Argentina 3-2 Yugoslavia after a 0-0 drawEven the great Diego Maradona was not immune to the pressure of a shootout. The Argentina No.10 was one of five players to miss in Florence after Yugoslavia played all but the first 31 minutes of a goalless draw following Refik Sabanadzovic's red card. Maradona was also a terrible penalty. Luckily for Argentina, Sergio Goycoechea saved two kicks to secure a place in the semi-finals.
Argentina: Serrizuela, Burruchaga, Maradona, Troglio, DezottiYugoslavia: Stojkovic, Prosinecki, Savicevic, Brnovic, HadzibegicUnsuccessful takers in bold.
2002, Last 16: Spain 3-2 Republic of Ireland after a 1-1 draw % - in Suwon, South Korea. But the Irish couldn't cross the line, missing three successive penalties after Ian Harte missed the shot in regulation time. Spain weren't much better, with Juanfran and Juan Carlos Valeron both missing the target while Gaizka Mendieta's kick to win it was hardly convincing.
Spain: Hierro, Baraja, Juanfran, Valeron, Mendieta Republic of Ireland: Robbie Keane, Holland, Connolly, Kilbane, Finnan
2006 Quarter-Finals: Portugal 3-1 England after 0-0 drawEngland failed to reach their fifth shot-stopper after three of their first four misses against Portugal in Gelsenkirchen. Ricardo became the first goalkeeper in World Cup history to save three penalties when he denied Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher after England lost David Beckham to injury and Wayne Rooney to a red card in regulation time. Carragher scored his own on the first attempt but failed when told to retake.
Portugal: Simao, Viana, Petit, Postiga, RonaldoEngland: Lampard, Hargreaves, Gerrard, Carragher
2014, last 16: Brazil 3-2 Chile after a 1-1 drawJulio Cesar was the hosts' hero, making two saves as Brazil slipped through to the quarter-finals. Cesar, who spent the previous season on loan from QPR at Toronto FC, saved Mauricio Pinilla and Alexis Sanchez before Gonzalo Jara hit the post as it looked like fate was on Brazil's side. Then they lost Neymar to injury in the quarter-finals and while they held a vigil for their fallen star, Germany beat them seven times in the semi-finals.
Brazil: David Luiz, Willian, Marcelo, Hulk, Neymar Chile: Pinilla, Sanchez, Aranguiz, Diaz, Jara2018 Round of 16: Croatia 3-2 Denmark after a 1-1 draw Luka Modric had the chance to avoid all the inconvenience from the penalty spot but the Croatian star had his extra-time penalty saved by Kasper Schmeichel. The Danish keeper saved two more in the shootout, but Croatian counterpart Danijel Subasic did better, deflecting Christian Eriksen's opener to the post before blocking the Danes' final two spot-kicks, each p*ss-poor attempts.
Croatia: Badelj, Kramaric, Modric, Pivaric, RakiticDenmark: Eriksen, Kjaer, Krohn-Dehli, Schone, Jorgensen
1994, last 16: Bulgaria 3-1 Mexico after a 1-1 draw Alberto Garcia Aspe scored from the spot in regulation time at Giants Stadium in New Jersey, but the midfielder was one of three to miss the shootout after 3ft 8th in Jorge Campos had given Mexico a good start by eliminating Krasimir Balakov. Garcia Aspe bit the bar before burly Boris Mihaylov saved Mexico's next two efforts to set up a quarter-final against Germany.
Bulgaria: Balakov, Genchev, Borimirov, Lechkov. Mexico: Garcia Aspe, Bernal, Rodriguez, Suarez
2006, last 16: Ukraine 3-0 Switzerland after 0-0 drawThis was the only shootout in Finals history where a team failed to score any of their attempts (until the Spain has a mare in Qatar), what came after what
Japan and Spain were terrible when they were put on the spot in Qatar. A look back at the worst shots on goal in World Cup history. Even Maradona felt the pressure…
Japan were knocked out of the World Cup in anti-climactic fashion after missing three kicks in a chaotic shootout with Croatia, then Spain suffered the same fate against Morocco. It was the 31st and 32nd games in a World Cup final to go to penalties and the eighth and ninth in which at least half of the attempts failed.
Here are the other miserable shootouts in which at least half of the penalties were saved or missed…
1990 quarter-finals: Argentina 3-2 Yugoslavia after a 0-0 drawEven the great Diego Maradona was not immune to the pressure of a shootout. The Argentina No.10 was one of five players to miss in Florence after Yugoslavia played all but the first 31 minutes of a goalless draw following Refik Sabanadzovic's red card. Maradona was also a terrible penalty. Luckily for Argentina, Sergio Goycoechea saved two kicks to secure a place in the semi-finals.
Argentina: Serrizuela, Burruchaga, Maradona, Troglio, DezottiYugoslavia: Stojkovic, Prosinecki, Savicevic, Brnovic, HadzibegicUnsuccessful takers in bold.
2002, Last 16: Spain 3-2 Republic of Ireland after a 1-1 draw % - in Suwon, South Korea. But the Irish couldn't cross the line, missing three successive penalties after Ian Harte missed the shot in regulation time. Spain weren't much better, with Juanfran and Juan Carlos Valeron both missing the target while Gaizka Mendieta's kick to win it was hardly convincing.
Spain: Hierro, Baraja, Juanfran, Valeron, Mendieta Republic of Ireland: Robbie Keane, Holland, Connolly, Kilbane, Finnan
2006 Quarter-Finals: Portugal 3-1 England after 0-0 drawEngland failed to reach their fifth shot-stopper after three of their first four misses against Portugal in Gelsenkirchen. Ricardo became the first goalkeeper in World Cup history to save three penalties when he denied Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher after England lost David Beckham to injury and Wayne Rooney to a red card in regulation time. Carragher scored his own on the first attempt but failed when told to retake.
Portugal: Simao, Viana, Petit, Postiga, RonaldoEngland: Lampard, Hargreaves, Gerrard, Carragher
2014, last 16: Brazil 3-2 Chile after a 1-1 drawJulio Cesar was the hosts' hero, making two saves as Brazil slipped through to the quarter-finals. Cesar, who spent the previous season on loan from QPR at Toronto FC, saved Mauricio Pinilla and Alexis Sanchez before Gonzalo Jara hit the post as it looked like fate was on Brazil's side. Then they lost Neymar to injury in the quarter-finals and while they held a vigil for their fallen star, Germany beat them seven times in the semi-finals.
Brazil: David Luiz, Willian, Marcelo, Hulk, Neymar Chile: Pinilla, Sanchez, Aranguiz, Diaz, Jara2018 Round of 16: Croatia 3-2 Denmark after a 1-1 draw Luka Modric had the chance to avoid all the inconvenience from the penalty spot but the Croatian star had his extra-time penalty saved by Kasper Schmeichel. The Danish keeper saved two more in the shootout, but Croatian counterpart Danijel Subasic did better, deflecting Christian Eriksen's opener to the post before blocking the Danes' final two spot-kicks, each p*ss-poor attempts.
Croatia: Badelj, Kramaric, Modric, Pivaric, RakiticDenmark: Eriksen, Kjaer, Krohn-Dehli, Schone, Jorgensen
1994, last 16: Bulgaria 3-1 Mexico after a 1-1 draw Alberto Garcia Aspe scored from the spot in regulation time at Giants Stadium in New Jersey, but the midfielder was one of three to miss the shootout after 3ft 8th in Jorge Campos had given Mexico a good start by eliminating Krasimir Balakov. Garcia Aspe bit the bar before burly Boris Mihaylov saved Mexico's next two efforts to set up a quarter-final against Germany.
Bulgaria: Balakov, Genchev, Borimirov, Lechkov. Mexico: Garcia Aspe, Bernal, Rodriguez, Suarez
2006, last 16: Ukraine 3-0 Switzerland after 0-0 drawThis was the only shootout in Finals history where a team failed to score any of their attempts (until the Spain has a mare in Qatar), what came after what
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