PENALTIES
Isn't it amazing how many penalties are missed in top football matches? In the Barcelona-Chelsea Champions League semi-final last night, the world's best player Lionel Messi hit the bar from the spot when given the chance to put Barcelona up 3-1, 3-2 on aggregate. Chelsea eventually clawed back a late equaliser and went through to the final.
I have just watched the very exciting second leg of the other semi-final between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, which finished 1-2, 3-3 on aggregate. In the subsequent penalty shoot-out, Bayern won 3-1 after nine shots. In other words, there were five missed or saved penalties against four scored, which is a terrible statistic for professional players paid a fortune to kick a ball.
Pressure is of course the reason. Real pressure.
Walter Blotscher
Which is why it is interesting to watch. The same in snooker, golf, cricket, any ball game. And at any level the same pressure.
ReplyDelete