Well, every football fan out there would agree with the fact that a penalty kicks is undoubtedly one of the most thrilling and nerve-wracking moments in a football match. A free shot taken from a spot roughly twelve yards away from the goal post can arguably change the outcome of the match. From Zinedine Zidane to Cristiano Ronaldo, the history of professional football has witnessed numerous controversial instances where footballers changed the entire course of the match and dominated the opponents with their daring penalty kick moments.
In this article we will take a look at the top five most daring and memorable penalty kicks in the history of football
- Zinedine Zidane at the 2006 World Cup Final
The final showdown between France and Italy in the 2006 World Cup final is still hailed as one of the most exciting and thrilling matches in the history of professional football. Right in the seventh minute of the match, Zidane stood up to take a penalty and instead of going ahead with a powerful shot, the attacking midfielder played an extremely unpredictable “Panenka” move and ended up softly aiming the ball at the center of the goal. Zidane’s courageous penalty kick took Italy’s goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon off guard and left the fans shocked.
- Cristiano Ronaldo at the 2016 UEFA Champions League Final
Often hailed as the ultimate king of penalty kicks, Cristiano Ronaldo smashed one of the most daring and memorable penalty kicks during the 2016 UEFA Champions League final match between Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid. After a 1-1 draw, Ronaldo stepped up to take Real Madrid’s fifth and final penalty and shot past Atlético Madrid’s goalkeeper Jan Oblak, securing a 5-3 penalty shoot out win for Real Madrid, who clinched their 11th Champions League title, La Undécima.
- Sebastian Abreu at the 2010 World Cup Quarter Final
An intense match between Uruguay and Ghana took a fierce turn when it went to a penalty shoot out after a 1-1 tie in the quarter-final of the 2010 World Cup. During the shootout period, each team kicked and missed – adding a lot more drama to the match until Uruguay’s Sebastian Abreu took the responsibility of dealing with the last penalty kick. Sebastian Abreu executed a “Panenka” penalty move and Ghana’s goalkeeper Richard Kingson shockingly failed to defend it, leading Uruguay to a path-breaking victory which sent Uruguay to the World Cup semifinals for the very first time in a span of forty years.
- Lionel Messi at the 2015-16 La Liga
Next, at the fourth spot in our list of top five most daring and memorable penalty kicks in the history of football, we have a stunning and bold “assist penalty” kick by Lionel Messi against Celia Vigo in the La Liga 2015-16 season. Instead of kicking the ball straight towards the goal post, the ace football player Lionel Messi shocked Celia Vigo’s goalkeeper, Sergio Álvarez, as he gently passed the ball in his right direction towards Luis Suárez, who sprinted in with full force and scored for the team. The “assist penalty” move by Lionel Messi during the 2015-16 La Liga season is still hailed as one of the boldest and trickiest penalty kicks in the history of professional football.
- Francesco Totti at the UEFA Euro 2000 Semi Finals
The blood-curdling match between the Netherlands and Italy at the UEFA Euro 2000 Semi Finals is undoubtedly one of the most intense matches ever witnessed by football aficionados. The match went to a goalless draw after 120 minutes and Francesco Totti stepped up to take Italy’s penalty in the shootout. Instead of a powerful low shot, Francesco Totti shocked the Dutch crowd with his “Panenka” penalty move, beating the Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar and leading Italy to a commendable 3-1 shootout win. Well, Francesco Totti’s daring Panenka penalty kick undoubtedly played a crucial role in leading Italy to the UEFA Euro 2000 finals against France.
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