PENALTY
The dictionary defines it as punishment imposed for breaking a law, rule, or contract.
For example: “the charge carries a maximum penalty of ten years’ imprisonment”
In sports and games: penalty is a handicap imposed on a player or team for infringement of rules.
A penalty kick (commonly known as a penalty or a PK) is a method of restarting play in association football, in which a player is allowed to take a single shot on the goal while it is defended only by the opposing team’s goalkeeper. It is awarded when a foul punishable by a direct free kick is committed by a player in their own penalty area. The shot is taken from the penalty mark, which is 12 yards (11 m) from the goal line and centred between the touch lines.
In practice, penalty kicks result in goals more often than not, even against the best and most experienced goalkeepers. This means that penalty awards are game-changing decisions and often decisive, particularly in low-scoring games.
Similar kicks are made in a penalty shootout in some tournaments to determine which team is victorious after a drawn match; these are governed by slightly different rules.
Penalty shoot-out is the ultimate test of nerve and technique. It’s football reduced to its simplest state – ball, kicker and goalkeeper. Given those 3 variables, if you’re a professional player good enough to represent your country, then you should be able to score with a shot from 12 yards out with only the goalkeeper to beat. But those odds don’t always compute. So why does this moment turn the world’s best into park players, with some of them incapable of finding the target?
The penalty record-setters
The average record of converting penalties during a normal match is 78%, a figure that drops to 74% when a shoot-out comes around. The extra pressure of the shoot-out, added to the fact that players who are not used to the task of taking penalties often step up, is behind this drop.
England has the worst record in shoot-outs of any major football nation, losing 6 out of 7 in big tournaments. There are a few reasons behind this wretched record, not least the fact that penalty failure is a vicious cycle: the more you lose, the more you keep losing. An academic study showed that international teams who had lost 1 shoot-out were more likely to lose the next one – even if all the players from the previous defeat had changed.
Germany is at the opposite end of the penalty spectrum to England in terms of penalty success, with a winning percentage of 83% and a conversion rate of 93%, making it one of the most reliable of spot-kick nations.
There are 2 reasons for this. Traditionally, German players excel in 3 areas of the game: technique, practice and mental toughness. The nation has always valued goalkeepers too.
“People in Germany are not so emotional and they see the value of keeping clean sheets,” explained Hans-Jorg Butt, a former Germany goalkeeper who also took penalties. “For us, it’s enough to win 1-0; the role of the goalkeeper is a more valued one in Germany than elsewhere.”
TEN TIPS TO HELP PENALTY SUCCESS
1. Win the toss and kick first
The team that kicks first is 60% more likely to go on to win the shoot-out – in
part because the conversion rate for penalties taken ‘to stay in the shoot-out’
drops to 62% in major tournaments, while the conversion rate for penalties
taken to win the shoot-out rises to 92%. It shows the difference between
thinking about positive, as opposed to negative, consequences when taking a
penalty.
2. Don’t put your best player last
You don’t want to lose the shoot-out before your best kicker gets a shot at the
goal, which might happen if he is placed fifth. Studies that assigned an
‘importance variable’ to each penalty show the first and fourth penalties have
the most significance in terms of affecting the outcome so getting the order
right is vital.
3. Wait for the goalkeeper to move first
Across a number of penalty examples over a long period of time, the numbers
show this method is a more successful strategy than blasting the ball
regardless of where the goalkeeper goes – though technically it’s harder to
pull off.
4. Make the kicker wait…5
Studies show that if a goalkeeper makes a penalty taker wait for between 1.7 to
4.5 seconds before the referee blows his whistle, penalty conversion rates drop
to 61% in major tournaments.
5. Player status doesn’t matter
Soccer superstars Roberto Baggio, Michel Platini, Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona,
David Beckham, and Cristiano Ronaldo have all missed big penalties at the peak
of their careers. Studies have shown that players of ‘high status’ have a worse
record in penalties than players who are merely ‘part of the team’. The
pressure on these players is greater, and they have more to lose if they miss.
6. Scoring the last goal helps
Momentum plays a big part in the shoot-out, as the team that scored last in the
game has a 62% chance of going on to win on penalties.
7. Body language matters
Studies show if a player is successful when the scores are level, and he
celebrates with both arms extended out, his team is 82% more likely to go on
and win the shoot-out.
8. Don’t rush it
Based on analysis of reaction times from the referee blowing his whistle to the
player beginning his run-up, England players waited an average 0.28 seconds
before starting their approach. This is quicker than any other nation, and not
far off Usain Bolt, whose average reaction time to the starting gun is 0.17
seconds. Waiting just one second can make a big difference.
9. Don’t overthink it on the walk
Overthinking a task can lead to a negative result, so players need to have a
strategy for what to think about on the dreaded walk to the spot. Focusing on
the process – the routine of execution – rather than the outcome is a good
start.
10. Goalkeepers can stay central
Nearly 30% of all penalties go down the middle of the goal, but goalkeepers
only stay central 6% of the time. One international goalkeeper, who will be in
action at Euro 2016, told me he dives for penalties as otherwise it looks like
he’s not trying.
Why are penalty shootouts controversial?
Before 1978, when a FIFA World Cup game in the knockout phase was tied at the end of extra time, the winner was decided with a coin toss. Penalty shootouts were introduced to make the outcome less of a lottery. But they are still often seen as having more to do with chance than which team is the stronger competitor.
Under the current rules, the referee tosses a coin and the winner can decide whether to take the first or the second kick. After that, teams A and B take five penalties each in an alternating pattern, that is, according to the sequence AB|AB|AB|AB|AB. If the scores are level after five rounds, the sudden death stage starts in the same order AB with additional rounds of one kick each until the tie is broken.
This rule can be called ABAB.
Since most penalties are successful, the player taking the second kick is usually under greater mental pressure, especially from the third or fourth penalties onward, when a miss could mean the immediate loss of the match. Statistical evidence shows that the team kicking first wins in around 60% of the cases. Since this fact is widely recognized, the team winning the coin toss almost always chooses to take the first kick.
What other options are football authorities considering?
In order to reduce this bias, football’s rule-making body IFAB (International Football Association Board) decided to test an alternative system called AB|BA, when the five penalties are kicked according to the sequence AB|BA|AB|BA|AB. The trial was initially scheduled at the 2017 UEFA European Under-17 Championship and the 2017 UEFA Women’s Under-17 Championship in May 2017 and was extended to the 2017 UEFA European Under-19 Championship and the 2017 UEFA Women’s Under-19 Championship in June 2017.
The first implementation of the new system was a penalty shootout in the Women’s Under-17 Championship semi-final between Germany and Norway on 11 May 2017. It was also applied in the 2017 FA Community Shield, where Arsenal, the winner of the 2017 FA Cup Final, had won an AB|BA penalty shootout against Chelsea, champions of the 2016–17 Premier League.
The Ghana situation
Twenty years ago, penalty kicks were regarded by coaches and players as little more than a lottery. Most teams at the 1998 World Cup, like Glenn Hoddle’s England, did not even practice them at all, believing that winning or losing largely depended on whether luck was with you on the night.
But two decades on from England’s shootout exit against Argentina, the 21st century data-driven world of football is very different. Penalty-shootouts are decided by hard science, not luck.
It has been over three decades since the Black Stars won a
penalty shootout -1982. It also happens to be the last time the team won a
trophy.
When the local Black Stars won a penalty
shootout in early rounds of the WAFU Nations Cup, there were expectations that
the hoodoo had finally been broken but the defeat to Senegal has reignited
conversations about it.
Some says it’s down to luck, others hold that
shootouts are science and only countries who invest in it usually come top in
such contests.
Ghana Men’s Soccer teams and Club’s Penalty performance in History on tournaments and Qualifications.
U-17 Men’s Soccer team
Since 1991, five Penalty kicks have been played by the Black Starlets. Out of that, they have won two and lost three.
U-20 Men’s Soccer team
Since 1989, ten penalty Kicks have been played by the Black Satellites. Out of that, they have won four and lost six.
U-23 (Olympic team)
Since 1977, seven Penalty kicks have been played by the Black Meteors. Out of that, they have won four, lost three.
Both Local Black Stars and Senior National Soccer Team.
Since 1973, both teams have played a total of eighteen penalty kicks, they have won seven and lost eleven.
National team’s Overall performance (U-17, U-20, U-23 and both Local and Main Black Stars
Forty penalty kicks deciders have been held during competitions. Seventeen have been won and twenty-three lost.
Clubs at a competition Since 1971.
Asante Kotoko
They have played twelve penalty Kicks. They have won only one and lost eleven.
Hearts of Oak
They have played nine penalty Kicks in total. They have won five and lost four.
Cornerstone
They have played two penalty kicks. They have won all two.
Hasaacas
They have played two penalty Kicks. They won one and lost one.
Ashanti Gold Sc
They have played two penalty Kicks but unfortunately lost all two.
Great Olympics
They have played one penalty Kicks and lost it.
Eleven Wise
They have played one penalty kicks and lost it.
Medeama Sc
They have played one penalty Kicks and lost it.
New Edubiase
They have played one penalty Kicks and lost it.
Okwawu United
They have played one penalty kicks and lost it.
RTU
They have played one penalty Kicks and lost it.
Wa All Stars
They have played one penalty Kicks and lost it.
Berekum Chelsea
They have played one penalty Kicks and lost it.
Liberty Professionals
They have played one penalty Kicks and lost it.
Over all by the Ghanaian Clubs – 36
Thirty-six penalty kicks have been played, 9 have been won and twenty-sevenlost.
Total on both Club and Country
Seventy-six penalty Kicks have been played. Twenty-six won and fifty lost.
Note : During 2004/05 Confederations Cup final, two clubs from Ghana played the Final and one of it ( Hearts Of Oak) won the trophy through penalty Shootouts and for that matter Two Kicks must be omitted from the total penalty Kicks against different countries. Hearts won and Kotoko lost which both are from Ghana.
One lost will be dedicated from the total kicks lost and one win will also be deducted from the total number of Kicks won.
Total on both Club and Country (2004/05 Kicks not included)
Seventy-four penalty Kicks have been played. Twenty-five have been won and forty-nine lost.
Ghana Black Queens
2004 AWCON 3rd place in Johannesburg, South Africa
Ghana won it on penalties against Ethiopia
2004 Olympic Games Qualifier
Ghana was eliminated by Nigeria through penalties
2012 AWCON qualifier
Ghana couldn’t make it after being defeated on penalties by Cameroon.
2018 Women’s WAFU tournament in Ivory Coast
Semifinal stage
Ghana 0-0 Nigeria. Ghana won on penalties.
2019 Women’s Wafu tournament
Semifinal
Nigeria 0-0 Ghana. Nigeria won on penalties
3rd place
Ghana 0-0 Mali. Ghana won on penalties
Total – 6
Ghana Black Queens have won three and lost three so far.
Nigeria 99
The dream for a first World Youth Championship
trophy was on course until Ghana met Spain in the quarter-finals.
The Black Satellites went up against a
star-studded side that had highly rated Spanish youngsters, Xavi, Marchena and
Iker Casillas.
The Black Satellites with the likes of Laryea
Kingston, Stephen Appiah and Peter Ofori-Quaye held their own to send the game
to penalties.
Undeniably, Ghanaians are passionate about football. Therefore, the painful and
early elimination of the senior national soccer team, the Black Stars, from the
just-ended Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in Egypt on penalty
shoot-out gives cause for deep concern.
Having drawn one all with the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia at full time, the Black Stars were booted out via a 5-4 penalty shoot-out at the Round of 16. Thus, they failed again to end the trophy drought, much to the chagrin and utter disappointment of most Ghanaians.
2010 World
Cup
An unforgettable night for Ghanaians and
Africans saw the Black Stars move from being a kick away from a historic
semifinal spot to being ousted by Uruguay on penalties in South Africa.
A dramatic end to a pulsating 1-1 draw game
between Ghana and the South American nation ended with Ghana losing 4-2 on
penalties with Adiyiah and John Mensah being the culprits.
This happened after Asamoah Gyan missed a
last-minute penalty that could have sent Ghana to the semi-final of the World
Cup.
1992 AFCON
Ten years after winning the AFCON via shootouts
in Libya, the Black Stars had a chance to add another trophy to the cabinet but
it did not happen.
After a goalless draw game, the Black Stars
without Abedi Ayew Pele lost 10-11 to Ivory Coast.
Anthony Baffoe’s kick was saved by Ivorian
goalie Gouamene to hand them their first AFCON trophy.
The penalty shootout was significant in that it
was the first in the final of a major international tournament that every
player on the pitch took a penalty.
2013 AFCON
Again, when Ghana reached the semi-finals of the 2013 AFCON in South Africa, the Black Stars lost 3-2 on penalties to the Stallions of Burkina Faso, after being held to a one all draw. That was Burkina Faso’s first appearance at an AFCON final. Eventually, Nigeria won the trophy.
2015 AFCON
Another painful experience for Ghanaians who had
their hopes up after the team took a 2-goal lead in the shootouts.
Bony and Tallo missed their opening two kicks to
give Ghana a comfortable lead but Afriyie Acquah and Frank Acheampong had their
kicks saved to draw level.
Razak Braimah will then miss his kick to hand
the trophies to the Ivorians on a 9-8 score line.
WAFU 2019
Another day, another penalty defeat for Ghana.
The local component of the Black Stars were defeated 3-1 on penalties by hosts.
Senegal on Sunday, October 13.
The game was decided by the penalties after a
1-1 scoreline in regulation time.
Justice Blay, Augustine Okrah and Fatawu
Mohammed all missed their kicks
2019 U23 AFCON/TOKYO 2020 QUALIFIER IN EGYPT
SEMIFINAL
At the end of 90 minutes soccer, Ghana drew 2-2 with Ivory Coast but unfortunately, they lost 3-2 on penalties.
3RD PLACE
In the same tournament, Ghana lost on penalties for the second time in four days to miss out on qualification to the 2020 Olympic Games.
The young Bafana Bafana edge past Ghana 6-5 on penalties after 2-2 scoreline in regulation time to win the third-place match at the Cairo International Stadium.
It would have been the first time since 2004 that the Meteors would have made the multisport event.
In the shootout, Ghana’s Emmanuel Lomotey, Evans Mensah, Issah Abbas, Samuel Obeng, and Zakaria Fuseinu scored for Ghana but Kingsley Fobi, Emmanuel Sarpong and Emmanuel Cudjoe missed for Ghana.
The Penalty Problem
Narrowing the sample period to the past 10 years, the Black Meteors, Black Maidens, Black Stars and Black Stars B have played a combined 63 penalties spreading across 11 different penalty shootouts (AFCON, U-23 AFCON, WAFU, U17 Women’s World Cup).
Out of the these shootouts contested, only two were
won, both by the Local Black Stars – against Nigeria in 2014 and Burkina Faso
in 2019, both CHAN tournaments. Nine penalty shootout defeats spell out the
degree of the penalty problem in Ghana.
Ghana’s Penalty Shootout Outcomes in less than 10 years (2010-2019)
2010 World Cup Quarterfinal – Ghana 1-1 Uruguay (2-4 penalties)
2013 AFCON Semifinal – Ghana 1-1 Burkina Faso (2-3 penalties)
2014 CHAN Semifinal – Ghana 0-0 Nigeria (4-1penalties)
2014 CHAN Semifinal – Ghana 0-0 Libya (3-4 penalties)
2015 AFCON Final – Ghana 0-0 Ivory Coast (8-9 penalties)
2018 U17 Women’s World Cup Quarterfinal – Ghana 2-2 Mexico (2-4 penalties)
2019 AFCON Round of 16 – Ghana 1-1 Tunisia (4-5 penalties)
2019 WAFU Quarterfinals – Ghana 1-1 Burkina Faso (5-4 penalties)
2019 WAFU Final – Ghana 1-1 Senegal (1-3 penalties)
2019 U23 AFCON Semifinal – Ghana 2-2 Ivory Coast (2-3 penalties)
2019 U23 AFCON 3rd & 4th place – Ghana 2-2 South Africa (5-6 penalties)
Penalties;
luck or science
One endless debate in football is whether
penalty shootouts are down to luck or pure science.
Over the years, research works have been
produced to rubbish the claim that penalty shootouts are based on luck.
In an interview with ESPN last two years,
five-time Ballon d’OR winner Cristiano Ronaldo contrary said, “For me,
penalties ultimately come down to luck. So, for me I’d say that it was very
unfortunate to have so much bad luck in such a short space of time and miss at
crucial moments. Everyone will have their own ideas of whether to take the
first, the second, or the last, but in the end, it is a bit of a lottery.
An expert on football data revealed that clubs
have invested thousands of dollars to gather information about penalties to
help them analyse and improve their players.
“It’s an expensive business. Teams will pay
around $400,000 for three months’ access to Opta’s data,” Ignacio
Palacios-Huerta, who has worked as a penalty consultant for the Dutch football
team, told Al Jazeera.
A journal, Human Movement Science, has come up with the best way to practice penalty kicks if a player favours waiting for the goalkeeper to move rather than just deciding on a spot before taking their penalty.
According to the Portsmouth University research, football players adopt two penalty-taking methods. One is deciding where to place the ball irrespective of the goalkeeper’s actions, known as goalkeeper-independent. The second is to place the penalty to the other side of the goalkeeper’s dive, or the goalkeeper-dependent strategy.
In this second method, the penalty taker must anticipate and decide where to kick the ball at the same as running up and taking the penalty. However, research has shown that when the time available to make the decision is reduced, for instance because the goalkeeper starts moving late, this adversely affects a kicker’s ability to accurately direct the ball to the side opposite to the goalkeepers dive.
If a player waits for the goalkeeper to move before deciding where to place their penalty, they should use ‘implicit’ practice methods to improve their penalty-taking skills. Implicit learning methods encourage the player to develop their skills through independent decision-making, rather than explicit methods, which involve coaching-led development.
This means that players should practice taking penalties by gradually increasing the difficulty of the penalty kick. For instance, by initially kicking from shorter distances and by using relatively large targets.
Using this method, the amount of thinking required by the player during their run-up is reduced as their penalty taking skills are improved, therefore they can focus on the accuracy of their kick.
Lead author of the study, Dr Martina Navarro, a lecturer in Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Portsmouth, said: “A successful penalty kick requires that the penalty taker produces an accurate, well-controlled kicking action and at the same time watches the goalkeeper and makes a decision to which side to kick the ball. In other words, it is a defining feature of the goalkeeper-dependent strategy that a conscious decision is made while kicking. This makes the goalkeeper-dependent strategy essentially a dual task.
“By practicing kicking skill and accuracy in an implicit manner will benefit penalty kick performance with a goalkeeper-dependent strategy compared to performance following an explicit intervention to improve kicking accuracy.”
The study compared the effects of implicit and explicit training methods on the penalty taking performance of 20 football players from the youth academies of VU University Amsterdam in the Netherlands and Red Bull Brasil in San Paulo, Brazil.
The players were divided in two groups and took part in a practice session to improve kicking accuracy (without a goalkeeper) and then in a post-test in order to examine the accuracy of their penalty kick performance (including a decision to kick to the side opposite the goalkeeper’s dive).
The results found that the implicit and explicit training method resulted in similar levels of decision-making, but after implicit training this was achieved with higher penalty accuracy.
Dr Navarro added: “When compared to explicit training, implicit training strategy results in higher kicking accuracy because it relies on an unconscious way of learning resulting in less cognitive demands while controlling the kick and therefore more attentional resources for deciding what side to kick.”
How penalty shootouts became big business
The first national team to seriously investigate this was Germany who employed a team of academics at the German Sport University in Cologne ahead of the 2006 World Cup.
They were tasked with scouring through video footage of opposition players, and seeing which parts of the goal they tended to aim for most when taking a penalty. During Germany’s quarter-final shootout with Argentina, Jens Lehmann was seen famously studying a “cheat sheet” prepared by these scientists, with tips on where the next Argentinian kicker was most likely to shoot.
There is probably no event in sports more mentally paralysing than football’s penalty shootout.
The long walk from the centre to the spot have been described by many as the longest of their lives.
No penalty is made equal: The bigger the stage and the more valuable the prize,
the greater the pressure and anxiety.
Pressure greater for taker or keeper?
Think of it in terms of the law: the onus is always on the taker rather than the keeper.
Craig Forrest, who was a goal-keeper in England for Ipswich Town, Chelsea and West Ham United said that the suspense differed because the burden isn’t the same.
“It’s the one time where a goal-keeper can actually be a hero,” Forrest told Al Jazeera. “The pressure in penalty shootouts is far greater on the shooter than the keeper because they’re not expected to score.”
It’s that expectation that, to some extent, dictates the nerves for certain players. Stopping a shot is more of a bonus for the keeper than anything else. Yet Dichio says simulating these pressure cooker situations in practice or training to develop the mental and emotional coping mechanisms is nearly impossible, especially with younger players.
“We try to create that wild atmosphere of shouting and whistling the opposing team makes to see if they can focus and cancel that out. But there’s a very thin line between adding that pressure and making it sort of comical.”
Art of deception and disguise
Here’s what further intensifies the entire dynamics.
There’s an arsenal of intimidation tactics the taker and goal-keeper will employ. Takers will usually disguise cues and body language that includes using the eye gaze to misdirect or foot and hip placements to misguide the keeper.
During his career, Forrest discovered tricks of the trade he’d use to provide him with even the slightest of advantages. His specialty was the use of the water bottle that he’d deliberately place in the bottom corner about a yard inside the post.
“You’re giving them a target. I’m not hitting space now. I can actually aim at that guy’s water bottle. It gives them a drawn line from the bottle to the top of the net.”
That brings us to the use of ‘Game Theory’. Keepers and players alike will often study the tendencies of penalty takers and use that to decide if they’ll dive right or left with a particular opponent.
But Forrest said the very act of a keeper knowing can compound the situation for the taker because it doubles the confusion.
“It adds even more pressure. He knows you know where he’ll go. So will he try something different? Should he go as usual? That’s the last thing he wants to be doing is thinking about what I’m going to do.”
According to Micheal Clegg in an article published on July 4, 2016, when it comes to penalty kicks, the odds are not in the goalies favor. In fact, from 1966 to 2014’s World Cup, keepers have only been able to save approximately 11 percent of penalty kick attempts – certainly strong proof of difficulty.
From the last five world cups, aside Brazil, a South American country that won the 2002 trophy, the rest are European countries (Italy, Spain, Germany, France)
This shows clearly that the Europeans are doing something right.
Even the maiden edition of the UEFA Nations League was won by Portugal, an European country.
Source: Enoch Worlanyo Wallace