Qatar World Cup Penalty Kick Success Rate Unusually Low
Invincible Armada Spain's 'Most Shootout Losses' Disgrace
On the 10th (local time), Neymar, the star player of the Brazil national football team, shed tears after losing to Croatia in a penalty shootout in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Qatar World Cup. The first day of the Qatar World Cup quarterfinals was decided by penalty shootouts, bringing joy to some and despair to others.
Brazil, led by Neymar (30), a 'title favorite,' was eliminated after losing 2-4 in a penalty shootout against Croatia in the quarterfinals held on the 10th (Korean time) at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar.
On the other hand, Argentina, led by Lionel Messi (35, both from Paris Saint-Germain), continued their journey toward the championship by defeating the Netherlands 4-3 in a penalty shootout at Lusail Stadium shortly afterward.
◆Penalty Kick Success Rate at Historically Low Levels... Qatar PK Fear
This World Cup has seen an unusually low success rate for penalty kicks (including shootouts).
According to statistics up to the round of 16, there have been 16 penalty kicks awarded during matches and 15 attempts in shootouts in this tournament.
Out of a total of 31 penalty kicks, 18 resulted in goals, yielding a success rate of 58.1%. This is about 12.5% lower than the 70.6% success rate recorded at the 2018 Russia World Cup.
Penalty shootouts have seen 7 successful kicks out of 15 attempts, a 46.7% success rate.
In the 2018 tournament, the success rate for penalty kicks during matches was 75.9% (22/29), and for shootouts, it was 66.7% (26/39).
The American sports media outlet ESPN reported, "Since the 1966 tournament through the last World Cup, the success rate for penalty kicks awarded during World Cup matches has been 80% (176/220)."
◆The Invincible Armada Sunk by Penalty Shootouts... Spain's Cruel History
When it comes to the penalty shootout tragedies of this World Cup, Spain cannot be overlooked.
On the 7th, in the round of 16 of the 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup held at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, Spain drew 0-0 with Morocco after 90 minutes plus extra time of 120 minutes, then lost 0-3 in the penalty shootout.
According to AFP, Busquets, who took the final kick, said, "It was a very difficult situation for us," and expressed his hardship by saying, "The match was decided in the cruelest way possible through a penalty shootout."
Additionally, Spain has experienced the most penalty shootouts in World Cup history (5 times) and has suffered the most defeats (4 times) in shootouts.
The only victory came in the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup round of 16, where they drew 1-1 with Ireland and then won 3-2 in the shootout.
In that tournament, Spain also faced a penalty shootout in the quarterfinals against South Korea and ultimately tasted defeat.
Moreover, Spain has endured the pain of being eliminated from major tournaments in three consecutive shootouts. Following the 2018 Russia World Cup, they were eliminated in the semifinals of the 2020 UEFA European Championship (Euro 2020) by Italy in a penalty shootout.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
