Penalty Shootouts Explained
Football or soccer as it is also known as been around for many years with the rules constantly changing and technology becoming a huge part of the game as money becomes integral. Penalties have long been a part of the game and a ruling that has never changed.
When to award a Penalty?
For a penalty to be awarded during a football match and offence needs to take place inside the area called the penalty box. This box is sized around 18 yards and the penalty spot is situated just inside that area. If a foul of some description or a handball offence takes place within the 18 yard area by a player defending the goal at that end then the referee will automatically award a penalty to the opposing team. The ball is ten placed on the spot within the 18 yard box and it is just one player from the attacking team facing the goalkeeper from the opposing team. The aim for the attacker is to put the ball into the net by beating the goalkeeper and scoring a goal.
What are the rules surrounding Penalties?
There are rules around the penalty taking situation in that the goalkeeper is not allowed to move from his goal line until the ball has moved forward and the attacker that is taking the penalty must have a continuous run up prior to striking the ball. Once the ball has been kicked, it must move forward and cannot be touched again by the same player until it has either struck the woodwork of the goal or the goalkeeper has made a save and stopped the ball from crossing the line into his net.
When do Penalty Shootouts occur?
If a game which last 90 minutes ends in a draw and a result has to be decided one way or another (if it’s a cup game for example) then 30 minutes of additional time will normally be added on. If a result still hasn’t been decided after 120 minutes then a penalty shootout will take place.
Who can take part in the Penalty Shootouts?
This basically consists of five named players from each team having to take a penalty against the opposing teams goalkeeper. If at the end of the five penalties each a result still hasn’t be achieved then additional players will step up and take penalties one at a time until the other team misses. This is known as sudden death and is a sure fire way of getting a result – although this can be a heartbreaking way of losing a match in which two teams are obviously closely matched.
Are Penalty Shootouts easy?
As you would expect this obviously adds a lot of pressure onto the penalty takers – as there will be massive expectancy on you yourself from the fans, your team mates and any family that are watching. Added to that the fact that by winning these games will normally carry a huge financial reward for both the club and players alike, you can fully understand why the penalty shootout is so popular when being watched by the neutral! With that in mind.. can you imagine how much pressure was on this footballer?!
