Penalty Shootouts: The Stress That Haunts Spain

Few elements in football, if any, generate as much stress as a penalty shootout, especially when it's at a World Cup. The tension is palpable for the takers, goalkeepers, players and coaches on the sidelines, and even the spectators. Not even the referees are immune to the adrenaline that accompanies deciding matches in a way that some call a lottery, and others, the result of diligent preparation.

"Of course, we've practiced penalties. And we'll do it again in training before the match. We work on everything," explained Grimaldo before the national team departed Chattanooga for Los Angeles. It is in the Californian city that Spain's World Cup journey enters the phase where it's win or go home.

The start of the knockout stages has already ratcheted up the pressure. In two of the first five matches, the winner was decided by a penalty shootout. Paraguay and Morocco celebrated their progression against Germany and the Netherlands, respectively. The South Americans triumphed after 12 kicks and five misses, while the North Africans needed ten penalties, half of which were missed.

The other three matches were decided by goals in the final minutes. Canada advanced with a goal in the 92nd minute, Brazil eliminated Japan with a Martinelli strike in the 95th, and Haaland's goal against Ivory Coast came four minutes from time.

The pressure of penalty shootouts at the World Cup has proven a difficult combination for the Spanish national team. Spain has participated in five penalty shootouts in the tournament's history, a number only surpassed by Argentina with seven. However, the Argentinians have won six of theirs. Spain, on the other hand, holds the worst record among teams with multiple shootout appearances: one victory (against Ireland in 2002) and four eliminations – against Belgium (quarter-finals, 1986), South Korea (same stage, 2002), and in the round of 16 in 2018 and 2022 (against Russia and Morocco).

Spain's World Cup penalty shootout woes are well-documented, with seven missed spot-kicks haunting their tournament history. Inaccurate strikes from Eloy (1986), Joaquín (2002), Koke and Aspas (2018), and the complete collapse in Qatar (Sarabia, Soler, and Busquets) sealed La Roja's elimination. Their sole shootout victory, against Ireland in 2002, saw Juanfran and Valerón also miss, but the Irish faltered three times thanks to Iker Casillas' saves and their own wayward efforts.

The first World Cup match decided by penalties was at the 1982 tournament in Spain. At the Sánchez-Pizjuán stadium, Germany managed to come back from a 3-1 deficit in extra time against France to force a shootout and qualify for the final. Since then, the significance of these tie-breakers has grown. In Qatar, a record five penalty shootouts were seen in a single World Cup, including the dramatic final between France and Argentina.

Mar Rovira, a psychologist specializing in sports, explains that the notion of penalties being a 'lottery' is unfounded: "From my perspective as a psychologist, one of the most deeply ingrained clichés in football that I've seen in my career is that 'penalties are a lottery.' If you, as a coach or player, believe this, you will never train them specifically; for you, they truly will be a lottery."

Working with elite athletes, some of whom are part of the national team, Mar Rovira is adamant that every penalty shootout series requires preparation that goes beyond simply striking the ball. "World Cup penalty shootouts must be practiced. On one hand, there's the work of the goalkeeper and goalkeeper coach, who analyze the characteristics of the takers with data. It's not infallible, but it helps a lot. And then there's the work that needs to be done with the takers themselves," she asserts.