This video can not be played
Relive all the penalties as England triumphed over Sweden
When future football historians reflect on the most bizarre and extraordinary penalty shootouts of all time, England’s victory against Sweden at Euro 2025 will undoubtedly be a prominent case study.
Of the 14 penalties taken, a mere five found the net, six were expertly saved, and three were missed by the Swedish side. As BBC pundit Ellen White aptly described it as “terrifying watching”, it was a spectacle akin to a football coach’s rendition of “The Exorcist.”
Indeed, shootouts present a daunting prospect for any participant, with immense pressure and the looming specter of failure and embarrassment.
While the notion of penalties as a mere lottery has been debunked in the era of data-driven and psychologically informed football coaching, the impact of pressure on players, even at the elite level, remains unpredictable.
As Alan Shearer famously exclaimed during England’s men’s team’s shootout victory over Switzerland at Euro 2024: “Pressure is for tires.”
Inspired by the Lionesses’ chaotic triumph in Zurich, we delve into some of the most remarkable instances when the “tire exploded…”
Helmuth Duckadam’s European Cup final heroics marked his final appearance for Steaua Bucharest.
England etched their name in Women’s Euros history as the first team to miss three consecutive penalties in a shootout and still emerge victorious.
The Zurich shootout’s paltry 36% conversion rate stands as the lowest in the competition’s history, even lower than the 2017 semi-final clash between Denmark and Austria.
In that shootout, Denmark prevailed 3-0 on penalties, with four of the seven spot-kicks missed, including all three by the Austrians.
However, the gold standard for underwhelming shootouts on a major European stage remains the 1986 European Cup final.
Following a goalless 120 minutes between Barcelona and Steaua Bucharest, the Romanian side emerged victorious with a 2-0 penalty shootout win.
Only 25% of the eight spot-kicks found the net, with Steaua keeper Helmuth Duckadam saving all four of Barcelona’s attempts.
While the oddity of that shootout could be attributed to goalkeeping brilliance, numerous instances can be unequivocally attributed to sheer incompetence.
In February 2020, the Japanese Super Cup clash between Vissel Kobe and Yokohama Marinos ended 3-2 in favor of Vissel, with a staggering nine consecutive penalties missed out of 14 taken.
After both sides converted their opening two kicks, Yokohama, managed by Ange Postecoglou, contrived to miss five in a row, while Vissel faltered with four in succession before ultimately ending the ordeal.
BBC Sport’s research also unearthed the 1985 Finnish Cup final, where Haka triumphed over HJK 2-1 after the first seven penalties from both sides were missed, and the 1990 Copa Libertadores semi-final between Olimpia of Paraguay and Colombia’s Atletico Nacional.
Nacional keeper Rene Higuita, renowned for his flamboyant style, saved four penalties but missed the decisive kick himself, mirroring the role of Swedish stopper Jennifer Falk against England in 2025.
Falk set a Women’s Euros record with four saves in the shootout but still ended up on the losing side, partly due to her own missed penalty, which could have sealed the win for her team.
Cortnee Vine converted the decisive penalty for Australia in their 20-penalty shootout victory over France at the 2023 World Cup.
Many football enthusiasts revel in the drama, twists, and potential glory of a penalty shootout. However, sometimes they overstay their welcome.
The most egregious example occurred in the 2023-24 promotion play-offs of the Liga Alef, the Israeli third tier. FC Dimona defeated Shimshon Tel Aviv 23-22 after a total of 56 penalties were taken.
Dimona player Guy Eini, who scored three penalties during the shootout, told Israeli media, external: “I’ve never experienced anything like this in my career. We tried to outwit each other.”
The longest penalty shootout in English professional football transpired just last season, as Aston Villa Under-21s edged out Blackpool 18-17 in the Football League Trophy. The shootout featured 31 consecutive successful kicks – a world record – before the 32nd was saved.
In international football, the longest shootout at a World Cup occurred in 2023 between co-hosts Australia and France, with the Matildas prevailing 7-6 after a total of 20 penalties. I witnessed it firsthand. It still lingers in my memory.
Liverpool fans fondly recall long shootouts, with two memorable examples in League Cup victories – 14-13 against Middlesbrough in 2014, and 11-10 against Chelsea in the 2022 final.
Manchester United supporters, on the other hand, may cringe at the thought of the 2021 Europa League final, an 11-10 defeat to Villarreal, with keeper David de Gea missing the decisive effort.
And while the men’s club season has only just commenced, we already have a noteworthy example from the 2025-26 campaign. Hamrun Spartans of Malta defeated Lithuanian champions Zalgiris 11-10 in their Champions League qualifier on 15 July, just two days before the England-Sweden showdown.
The 2020 shootout between Orlando City and New York City was marred by red cards, retakes, and premature celebrations.
As for the most bizarre penalty shootout ever, several candidates emerge. Last season saw Atletico Madrid controversially penalized against Real Madrid in the Champions League, as Julian Alvarez was deemed to have “double-touched” a penalty, despite inconclusive evidence.
There is also the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations final between Nigeria and Cameroon. Nigerian forward Victor Ikpeba’s effort bounced down off the bar and clearly crossed the line, but the goal was not awarded, and Cameroon prevailed 4-3.
However, this author posits that the Orlando City versus New York City FC clash in the 2020 Major League Soccer play-offs takes the crown. Here’s how we described it in our report from November of that year.
With the shootout poised at 4-3 in favor of Orlando after four penalties each, Orlando keeper Pedro Gallese believed he had secured the win for his side by saving Valentin Castellanos’ penalty.
However, the video assistant referee intervened and ruled that Gallese was off his line, resulting in a second yellow card for the keeper, who had already been booked for time-wasting in extra time.
Orlando then brought on substitute keeper Brian Rowe, but the referee indicated that the substitution was not permitted and sent him back off the pitch.
Instead, Argentine defender Rodrigo Schlegel donned the gloves.
Castellanos scored on his second attempt to level the score, and the shootout proceeded to sudden death when Orlando’s Nani, formerly of Manchester United, had his penalty saved.
Both teams scored to make it 5-5 before Schlegel’s heroics as he saved Gudmundur Thorarinsson’s attempt – triggering celebrations from Orlando players and staff who mistakenly believed the game was over.
Ultimately, Benji Michel scored to seal a 6-5 win, marking Orlando’s first victory in the play-offs.
Opta reported that there had been 21 minutes and 35 seconds between the first and last penalty attempts in the shootout.
Resilience, luck and subs – England’s winning formula
Listen to the latest Football Daily podcast
Get football news sent straight to your phone
Comments can not be loaded
To load Comments you need to enable JavaScript in your browser