Chapter 210 Penalty Shootout

After both sides had arranged their penalty kick takers, the referee called the two captains over to flip a coin, to decide who would go first in the penalty shootout.

Some people believe that the order of penalty kicks has a significant impact on the outcome, much like the home-field advantage.

Some argue that the team kicking first faces more pressure because they step up to the spot first in each round, not knowing how their opponent will perform, and this uncertainty heightens their anxiety. The team kicking second is more composed because they already know the opponent's result.

But others argue the opposite, that the team kicking second faces more pressure because the weight of the world falls on their shoulders, regardless of whether the opponent scores or misses.

However, statistical data suggests that the order of penalty kicks does not have a significant impact on the result.

Before this World Cup, ESPN compiled data from all penalty shootouts in World Cup history. One aspect of the study was whether the order of penalty kicks affected the final result.

The data showed almost no impact. In all the statistics, the team kicking first won 51 percent of the time, and the team kicking second won 49 percent of the time.

The two sides were virtually even, with a negligible difference of 2 percent.

After flipping the coin, Brazil won the right to kick first.

The players from both sides finished their rest and began to take the field, ready for the final penalty shootout.

"The match is finally coming to its conclusion… China valiantly forced a draw against Brazil in 120 minutes, dragging the game into a penalty shootout. We believe Lippi must have prepared for this situation, as reports before the game indicated that he had been conducting penalty kick training… Now, the eyes of all Chinese fans are focused on the goal… No, the eyes of the world are focused here. As the host nation, will five-time champion Brazil be eliminated by China in a penalty shootout? This possibility was previously non-existent, but now it has gradually become a reality…" said He Ping.

Sun Pan walked directly towards the goal. Behind him, the Chinese players shouted at him, "Go for it, Sun Pan!"

"This is your chance to shine, Panpan!"

Sun Pan waved his hand at them without looking back.

His teammates couldn't see Sun Pan's expression, but his mouth was almost grinning from ear to ear—he was smiling without any pretense.

Penalty shootout!

As a goalkeeper with extreme self-confidence, there was nothing better than a penalty shootout.

As a goalkeeper, you're often the scapegoat in a match, and the glory always goes to the forwards. If a forward scores a beautiful goal, the goalkeeper is just the backdrop.

Only in a penalty shootout is the goalkeeper truly in his element.

Here, the saying that "a good goalkeeper is worth half a team" will be thoroughly demonstrated.

Sun Pan was happy that he was able to drag the game into extra time.

He quickly reached the goal and, after tightening his gloves, walked across the goal line, measuring the distance with his feet.

Because it was Brazil's home field, most of the fans behind both goals were Brazilian.

The Chinese fans were positioned higher up and further to the side.

No matter which goal was chosen, Brazil would have more support, which made no difference to China.

Moreover, the coin toss before the penalty shootout doesn't determine which side to play on; the referee decides which goal to use based on lighting conditions and the integrity of the grass.

After Sun Pan measured the width of the goal, he turned around and stood on the goal line. Behind him were Brazilian fans, constantly booing him, and some fans were even giving him the middle finger and cursing him in Portuguese.

But none of this affected Sun Pan.

Sun Pan was certainly not a mild-mannered person, but he knew what the correct response was for a goalkeeper.

The first Brazilian to step up to take the penalty was center-back David Luiz, who had excellent free-kick skills.

After placing the ball, he turned and walked straight out of the penalty area, all the way to the edge of the arc. His run-up distance was extremely long.

Such a long run-up distance might make the kicker overthink during the run-up, and it might also make the goalkeeper overthink...

After referee Webb blew his whistle, David Luiz began his run-up. He ran quickly, charged into the penalty area, and unleashed a powerful shot!

The ball flew straight into the upper left corner, while Sun Pan dived to the right, misjudging the direction. The ball flew into the goal without a doubt.

The stands erupted with cheers from the Brazilian fans.

"David Luiz! gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooL!!!" The Brazilian commentator had been stifled throughout the match, and he finally had a chance to show off his powerful lungs.

After scoring, David Luiz even ran to the end line, waving his fist to celebrate the goal.

The first penalty taker on a team often faces enormous pressure.

David Luiz's goal was like giving his teammates a good start.

The first player to step up for China was Zheng Zhi.

"Zheng Zhi is taking China's first penalty. How he kicks it will have an impact on his teammates who take the penalties after him…" He Ping said in a much lower voice, as if afraid of disturbing Zheng Zhi.

But the atmosphere on the field was anything but quiet. The Brazilian fans were constantly booing, and the fans behind the goal were even wriggling their bodies and dancing, trying to visually distract Zheng Zhi.

After placing the ball, Zheng Zhi took two steps back with his head down, still looking down, waiting for the referee's whistle.

When the whistle blew, he ran up with his head down and, still looking down, kicked the ball… towards the center!

Cesar dove to the side, but as he was diving, he saw that Zheng Zhi had actually kicked the ball towards the center. It was impossible for him to dive back to the center at this point, so he could only watch as the ball flew into the goal from the spot where he had been standing...

"Good shot! Zheng Zhi steadily kicked the ball into the goal!" He Ping excitedly waved his fist in the commentary box.

※※※

The second Brazilian to take a penalty was Willian. After placing the ball, he waited for the whistle to blow, then ran up and kicked.

This time, he kicked the ball to the left, and Sun Pan misjudged the direction, diving to the right.

However, Willian's shot didn't go into the goal. The ball, skimming the grass, ultimately went wide of the left post!

"Willian… Ah ah ah ah!" The Brazilian commentator screamed, "He kicked it wide! He kicked it wide! Really… He was trying too hard for the angle… He shouldn't have! There was no need to try so hard for the angle! The Chinese goalkeeper had already misjudged the direction. He misjudged the direction twice in a row, but this time we gave the opportunity away!"

"Well done! Willian kicked it wide! The ball didn't go in! As long as He Ying can kick the ball in next, he will put China ahead of Brazil!" He Ping said excitedly.

The Chinese fans in front of the TV also cheered, but this cheering quickly turned into silence as everyone held their breath, watching He Ying pick up the ball and walk up.

After placing the ball, He Ying ran up and shot, kicking the ball towards the lower left corner of the goal, an angle that was theoretically difficult to save.

But this time, Cesar guessed the right direction. As He Ying's foot made contact, he lunged towards the lower left corner of the goal and slapped away He Ying's shot!

"Oh no—!!!" He Ping shouted, holding his head in his hands. "He Ying tried his best to aim for the far corner, but Cesar made a perfect save! He guessed the direction of He Ying's kick and made the save in advance…"

In ESPN's statistical analysis of penalties in the World Cup, the lower left corner of the goal is the favorite spot for penalty takers, with over 20 percent of penalties kicked to that location, especially by right-footed players.

Because players love to kick there, goalkeepers naturally tend to dive in that direction after long-term training and experience.

So, although this is the most frequently targeted area in World Cup penalty shootouts, the goal rate is the second lowest among the nine areas, only higher than the area directly above the goalkeeper's head, with a goal rate of 71 percent.

Having missed the penalty, He Ying looked up, pursed his lips, and looked very frustrated.

He had a chance to help China take the lead, and everyone was looking forward to that moment, but he had failed to live up to their expectations.

This was a big blow to him, and for China, it was a missed opportunity to overtake Brazil. This penalty saved Willian and Brazil, who were in a state of anxiety and unease, but pushed China into the fire pit.

The situation for both sides immediately reversed. This is the cruel nature of a penalty shootout. The constant reversal of situations puts both sides under psychological stress, moving from the heights of elation to the depths of despair.

Those who can remain calm under such immense pressure and shock are truly people with genuine big hearts.

※※※

ps, This book is coming to an end soon. Take the last chance to advertise for my high school classmate. As a very good friend in high school, this classmate is very good at painting, and I didn't expect that he is now interested in writing. So he started the journey of writing books online.

He used to write books on other sites, but this time I pulled him to Qidian, so I also have the obligation to advertise for him.

Eight lotus petals, one leaf, the saint is the phoenix. Those who obey are immortals, those who rebel are saints. Let's see how the second son of King Zhou jumped out of the list of gods and controlled the creation of Hongmeng. Everything is in *The Saint is the Phoenix*.

Book number: 1010694953

Welcome everyone to collect it, welcome everyone to read it.