A spot kick. It’s from 12 yards out. You can either place it or go for power or just close your eyes and hope. Either way, the goalkeeper is at a massive disadvantage. There’s not much more to it than that. You should try to keep it simple, stupid.
But here are three instances when, for whatever reason, the penalty taker managed to get it all horribly wrong. These are the 3 worst penalties ever taken.
The 3 Worst Penalty Kicks Ever
In case you missed it, this is the best moment of Euro 2016 so far. Simone Zaza's ridiculous penalty is comedy gold pic.twitter.com/sHygWHaLVz
— Damian Rees (@damianrees) July 6, 2016
This would be one of the more tragic penalties of all-time if it weren’t so damn funny. The stakes couldn’t have been higher: a European Championship quarterfinal between traditional powers Germany and Italy.
A total of seven penalties would be missed during the shootout, but Simone Zaza’s infamously terrible penalty for the losing Italian side is the lasting memory
“I am sorry to have let the Italian people down. I missed the most important penalty of my life and I will carry this burden with me forever…” said Zaza.
Ivan Rocha was a Brazilian defender that spent the majority of his career bouncing around Spain, including stints with Valladolid, Atletico Madrid and Alaves. Early in his career, Rocha had a reputation as a goalscoring defender, but this penalty just goes to show that you should leave the duties to an attacker.
The playing surface at the 1991 HFS Norther Premier League Division One Cup Final was shit, but Peter Devine’s attempted penalty in the match was decidedly shitter.
Possibly the worst penalty of all time... pic.twitter.com/JCtOMKoRJR
— 90s Football (@90sfootball) August 2, 2017
Fortunately for Lancaster City, there was some consolation for this blunder.
Cool fact: We made more money selling the rights to this clip than we would have done if we'd won the cup. Perfectly to plan
— Lancaster City FC (@LancasterCityFC) August 2, 2017