November 20 – Argentineans Go Spot Kick Mad
THERE’S a few sights that England fans hate. Steve McLaren’s smarmy, toothy grin, the sight of Stewart Downing warming up on the sideline and Michael Owen pulling up, shaking his head at the bench and limping to the sideline are just a few that we’ve seen over the last couple of years. But if you really want to strike fear into the hearts of the English just say the following words – Penalty Shoot Out. Messrs Terry and co had better look away now as today’s cautionary tale is all about a record shoot out from 1988 that saw no less than 44 penalties as Argentinos Juniors took on Racing Club.
In a move that would excite the likes of Sepp Blatter and his thrill-seeking cronies, the Argentinean Primera Division was experimenting with the using a penalty shoot-out to determine a winner when games finished level after 90 minutes. When the crowd at La Paternal saw Argentinos and Racing play out a 2-2 draw they probably thought they’d be home eating their tea in ten minutes after a quick shoot-out.
This wasn’t to be, as a mixture of saves, misses and downright coincidence meant that Argentinos were made to graft for their 20-19 win and extra league point that this brought. This was to remain the world record for a penalty shoot-out for seventeen years until a Namibian Cup first round tie where KK Palace held their nerve to beat civics 17-16 after 48 spot kicks.
If you’ve ever wondered who’s idea it was to devise a fool-proof system to ensure that England never again win another trophy then you won’t be surprised to find out that it’s a German. Cheers for that, Karl Wald. Still, it’s more exciting than the coin toss that used to hold sway over such events as the 1968 European Championship semi-final. Contrary to popular belief, tales does sometimes fail – and in this case it meant that Italy pipped the USSR to the final in football’s biggest toss of a coin.
There’s no footage of the Argentinean record breakers, so here’s an epic from earlier this year for you, where despite England managing to score twelve they still came up short. There’s even more spot kick nonsense tomorrow, so unlike Anton Ferdinand below, don’t miss it.
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November 20 - Mac o’ Nine Tales | On This Football Day on November 20th, 2008
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