Penalty shoot-out knowledge test

After four long years football fans can rejoice- the FIFA World Cup is here again and this year all the action is taking place in Brazil- a country famous for its love of the beautiful game and steady supply of talented players. The games have already begun but as yet it’s all still to play for and nobody’s fate in the tournament is certain. Maybe a lot of games will be decided on a penalty shoot-out, like so many previous World Cup tournaments.

Some of the most memorable World Cup moments revolve around dramatic penalty shoot outs, like the 2006 final between France and Italy. The match had already been fraught with tension and drama after Zidaine head-butted an Italian player who had insulted his sister and then France missed a penalty and lost the tournament.

Germany and Argentina in the 2006 quarter-finals was another match that ended in a tense penalty shoot-out – Germany won despite Argentina having never lost a penalty shoot-out up until that point.

This year there’s bound to be penalties galore in the World Cup, but there’s no telling what the outcome will be. Imagine the pressure for the players, knowing their one kick or dive could win or lose a game, maybe even the entire tournament. Luckily for us, we’re just watching, but that doesn’t make it any less stressful!