Latest Penalty kick Stories
In the quarterfinal of the 2006 Soccer World Cup, England and Portugal played for 90 tense minutes and 30 minutes extra time without a single goal being scored. This led them to a penalty shoot-out; as one by one, players went against the opposing team's goalie. After four shots by each team, Portugal was ahead 2-1. Portugal's star Cristiano Ronaldo shot to English goalkeeper Paul Robinson's left, but Robinson dove right. Portugal scored, won the game, and went on to the semifinal.When...
In the split second before foot meets ball, a soccer player's body betrays whether a penalty kick will go left or right, according to recent research in cognitive science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The findings could explain how some top goalkeepers are able to head off a penalty kick, diving in the correct direction in advance of the kick. It could also point the way to changes in how players kick, and goalies react.The research, performed by Rensselaer doctoral student Gabriel J....
A new study may explain why the England soccer team keeps losing in penalty shootouts "“ and could help the team address the problem in time for the World Cup 2010. Research by the University of Exeter shows for the first time the effect of anxiety on a footballer's eye movements while taking a penalty.The study shows that when penalty takers are anxious they are more likely to look at and focus on the centrally positioned goalkeeper. Due to the tight coordination between gaze control and...
By Noah Barkin BERLIN (Reuters) - Goals were not in abundance at the World Cup finals on Monday. It took Italy over 1-1/2 hours to score from the penalty spot against Australia while Ukraine played for more than two hours before winning a shootout against Switzerland in a dreadfully dull game as they booked quarter-final places. With seconds remaining in a goalless match played in Kaiserslautern that seemed destined for extra time, Italian defender Fabio Grosso dribbled into the box...
By Steve James NEW YORK (Reuters) - Even Pele, the man who coined the phrase "The Beautiful Game," admits there are a few ugly blemishes on the face of modern-day soccer. Although he supports rule changes to counter cynical tackles, blatant time-wasting, diving, barely concealed shirt-pulling and delaying tactics at free-kicks, the greatest player of all time draws the line at using video technology. That, he says, would interrupt the flow of the game, even though it might solve arguments...
