New Delhi: FIFA World Cup 2022 is less than a week away, and fans expect some thrilling action in the football arena in Qatar. The matches which make you bite off the nails and are neck-to-neck encounters with not even the extra time being able to decide the fate, these matches enter a penalty shootout. While these shootouts are thrilling, they are indeed not for the weak-hearted.
FIFA introduced the penalty shootout in the 1978 World Cup, but it first came into play in 1982 when the game between West Germany and France ended at 3-3. With a scoreline of 7-all after the five shots, Horst Hrubesch scored in the sudden death to win the semi-finals for West Germany. Since then, the FIFA World Cups have seen a total of 30 penalty shootouts but just two which decided the fate in the finals.
FIFA World Cup 1994: Brazil vs Italy
While fans expected Brazil’s Roberto Baggio to score, the scoreline between Italy and Brazil showed two zeroes. During the penalty shootout, Franchinio Baresi missed the first shot for Italy while Pagliuca saved Marcio Santos’ shot. After both the teams scored two each, Brazilian goalkeeper Taffarel saved an important kick. While Dunga scored for Brazil, Baggio hit the ball over the crossbar to hand Brazil their fourth World Cup victory.
FIFA World Cup 2006: France vs Italy
Italy once again stood at the edge after the score ended at 1-1. French player Zinedine Zidaneput scored a goal in the seventh minute while Marco Materazzi did it for Italy with a header. The game entered the penalty shootout. Andrea Pirlo and Sylvian Wiltord scored the first goal for their teams. While Marco Materazzi scored for Italy, David Trezeguet managed to hit the crossbar which eventually cost France the game. The final goal came off Fabio Grosso’s foot as Italy picked their fourth title.