Sports
Mbappe, And Soccer Greats Who Missed Crucial Penalties
By Ekene Dike
Kylian Mbappe was left disappointed when his penalty miss against Switzerland sent France out of Euro 2020. For Mbappe who has had a sumptuous playing career, he will hope to get this behind him, bounce back incredibly and hope that this will be the only blot on the landscape.
In the past, high quality players of his status have also let their teams down after missing crucial penalties. These are some of the notable penalty misses from the most talented of soccer boots.
1. Roberto Baggio: Arguably the most famous penalty in world football, Roberto Baggio handed Brazil the 1994 World Cup when he missed the target completely with his penalty kick in the final in the Rose Bowl in the USA.
The ‘divine ponytail’ had been the competition’s best player, but he turned from hero to villain at the most critical stage and the image of the Italian striker as a forlorn figure at the penalty spot will forever haunt his nation.
2. John Terry: The script was written for him. John Terry, the loyal captain of Chelsea, had the chance to deliver the Champions League to his side for the first time in their history by simply converting a penalty against Manchester United in the shootout.
Yet, in what is now an unforgettable moment in football history, the English centre back slipped on the wet Moscow surface and missed his spot kick, with the Red Devils going on to be victorious in front of a tearful Terry.
3. Andriy Shevchenko: At the time, Andriy Shevchenko was probably the best striker in the world. Yet, having seen his side get pegged back from 3-0 up and Liverpool keeper Jerzy Dudek somehow stopping a glorious chance of the Ukrainian’s in extra time, Sheva’s confidence may well have been shot by the time his penalty came around.
With Dudek again in his way, the Milan striker produced a tame effort to hand the Reds the Champions League and bring an end to one of the most memorable finals in recent history
4. David Beckham: Beckham took his responsibility as skipper of England and regular spot-kick taker by going first in the shootout against Portugal in the quarter finals of Euro 2004, with the game finishing 2-2 after 120 minutes.
The midfielder blasted way over the bar, looking back to the penalty spot itself as to why his attempt failed to hit the target. The Three Lions were to exit the tournament in familiar fashion, with Portugal emerging as 6-5 winners in the shootout.
5. Lionel Messi: With Chelsea down to 10 men after captain John Terry had been sent off, it was only a matter of time until Barcelona got their all important third goal in front of an expectant Camp Nou to send themselves through to the Champions League final.
The perfect opportunity came with the home side earning a penalty, but Lionel Messi could only find the crossbar and the Blues would eventually hold out before scoring themselves to set up a final against Bayern in Munich before the Blues won their first ever Champion’s League trophy.
Mbappe who has had an illustrious career thus far with his miss joins the league of world stars who have been tarnished at the global stage.
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