Penalty Shoot-out (association Football) - Tactics

Tactics

Defending against a penalty kick is one of the most difficult tasks a goalkeeper can face. Some decide which way they will dive beforehand, giving themselves time to reach the side of the goalmouth. A 2011 study published in the journal Psychological Science found goalkeepers dived to the right 71% of the time when their team was losing, but only 48% when ahead and 49% when tied, a phenomenon believed to be related to certain right-preferring behaviour in social mammals. Others try to read the kicker's motion pattern. Kickers may attempt to feint, or delay their shot to see which way the keeper dives. Shooting high and centre, in the space that the keeper will evacuate, carries the highest risk of shooting above the bar. If a keeper blocks a penalty kick during a match, there is a danger the kicker or a team-mate may score from the rebound; this is not relevant in the case of a shoot-out.

In high-level competition, a goalkeeper may also use public knowledge of the shooters' past behaviour to inform his decision. In the shoot-out between Argentina and Germany in the 2006 World Cup, Jens Lehmann was seen looking at a piece of paper kept in his sock before each Argentinian player would come forward for a penalty kick. It is presumed that information on each kicker's "habits" were written on this paper. Players may counter this preparation by switching from their usual side on occasion. Some kickers in a shoot-out may seldom have taken a regular penalty kick, in which case there will be few statistics for the keeper to rely on.

The crowd behind the goal may favour one team and try to distract the other team's shooters. To forestall this, referees may choose the less partisan goal for the shootout. A goalkeeper may use distracting gamesmanship such as cleaning his boots or asking the referee to see if the ball is placed properly; this risks a caution for unsporting conduct. Bruce Grobbelaar's "wobbly legs" clowning distracted Francesco Graziani in the 1984 European Cup Final shootout. The keeper is forbidden from moving off the goal line to narrow the shooter's angle; the 2003 UEFA Champions League Final shootout caused controversy as replays showed that both keepers got away with this.