Dead ball
Spot of
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1. The choice
When Xabi Alonso waited to take a penalty for Liverpool FC in the 60th minute of the 2005 UEFA Champions League final, he knew his kick could make history. Trailing 3-0 at half-time, the Reds had fought back to 3-2 and Gennaro Gattuso’s foul on Steven Gerrard gave Alonso the chance to complete a stunning comeback. “I wasn’t the only option,” said the Basque midfielder. “The boss has a list of penalty takers. He likes to have the most confident one on that list taking it. I just decided to grab the ball.” Alonso scored off the rebound after Dida saved his spot-kick. Istanbul was the eighth final in 21 years
to be decided by a shootout. Liverpool coach Rafa Benítez had been preparing a list of players throughout the year, compiling stats to back up his decision. But when the time arrived in Istanbul, it all came down to who was up for it. Milan Baros had taken them all season, but was not on the pitch at the whistle. Djimi Traore declined the offer. Benítez told Xabi Alonso – who had been on the list – he shouldn’t take another: the fact that Dida had saved his first could affect his confidence. Benítez explained: “I choose players who feel sure, or who give me that sense of security, that they’ll score.” Three years later in Moscow, Chelsea FC striker Nicolas Anelka refused to lead off in the shootout against Manchester United FC. “I was asked to take one of the first five kicks but I said: ‘That’s out of the question. I’ve come on as a right-back and you want me to take a penalty?’ So I had to go seventh.” His shot was saved. Compiling a list of takers will only take you so far. As a coach, you have to hope you have five players on the pitch who want to grab the ball when the opportunity arises. In 1991, FK Crvena Zvezda’s coach Ljupko Petrovic had almost an entire team ready to grab the ball. That season in the Yugoslav league, every game that ended in a draw was settled by penalties. Their
Liverpool FC’s heroic Jerzy Dudek in 2005 (above); Juventus’ Gianluigi Buffon is beaten by AC Milan’s Andriy Shevchenko in 2003 (right)
As you near the goal, you think, ‘Please don’t miss.’ A penalty can change a career
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