"The Whole 12 Yards"
With five wins from six shoot-outs, Germany are the undisputed world penalty champions. But why?
It’s the semi-final of Euro 96. 30 years since England won the World Cup and the fans are praying for a spot in the Final. Terry Venables’ side have already seen off Spain with a penalty shoot-out win, and now they’ll have to do it again, as the game ends 1-1 after extra time.
And the early signs are promising. Shearer, Platt, Pearce, Gazza and Sheringham all score. The Germans keep up. Hassler, Strunz, Reuter, Ziege and Kuntz all hammer home.
Up steps Gareth Southgate – who hits a tame shot that Andreas Köpke gobbles up. Advantage Germany. Andreas Möller takes his time before hitting a shot that almost takes the net off the woodwork. Game over.
“There are still those that think a penalty shoot-out is a lottery,” says Uli Hesse-Lichtenberger, German football expert and author of Tor!, the history of German football. “There are also as many that expect to win every time. Why? That is a question no one can answer. We practise and we’re confident.”
But Germany’s first ever penalty shoot-out saw them lose. It was 1976 and West Germany, as they were then, had progressed to the European Championship Final, thanks to wins over Spain and Yugoslavia. There they faced Czechoslovakia and after a 2-2 draw after 120 minutes, penalties were used to decide a major international final for the first time. The Czechs won 5-3.
Die Nationalelf had to wait another six years to appease their pain. In 1982, they drew 3-3 with France in the World Cup Semi-Final. From the spot, they emerged 5-4 victors. Four years later, a 0-0 draw against Mexico in the Quarter-Finals ended in West Germany winning the shoot-out 4-1.
“Psychological variable showed a stronger relationship to [penalty] outcome than any of the other variables,” said researchers from the Centre for Human Movement Sciences. They analysed every spot-kick taken in international competitions between 1976 and 2004 to explain why some teams were better than others. Could that defeat in 1976 have made Germany more formidable psychologically? Sports psychologist Andy Barton, thinks so, but suggests there’s more to it.
“The fact that Germany practise a lot will explain, to a certain extent, why they have performed so well at taking penalties since 1976. However, practice alone does not make you a better penalty taker. To improve at a skill, it is essential that every time it is performed there is a purpose.
“More important, in the case of the Germans, is their cultural belief that they are good penalty takers. It cannot be underestimated how powerful this can be when it comes to performance. It not only has a positive effect on the Germans, but it also has a negative effect on their opponents.”
Seventeen years ago, when penalties were used to separate England and West Germany in the World Cup Semi-Final in Turin, England hadn’t even been awarded a spot-kick in the four years before the tournament.
“As soon as we qualified for the knockout stages we practiced penalties every day,” explained coach Franz Beckenbauer. “That is probably why we were so confident.” Gary Lineker, Peter Beardsley and David Platt all scored for England. Then Chris Waddle stepped up.
“I’ll probably never be allowed to forget my miss,” rued Waddle, who returned to his club Marseille to be greeted by new coach Beckenbauer with the words: “My favourite player.”
Olaf Thon put Germany ahead before Stuart Pearce missed England’s crucial fifth. “I knew it was something I’d have to live with,” he admitted. “But it made me a better player. It’s how you react to the bad times that shapes your character.”
Quite. Perhaps it was Germany’s defeat in 1976 that shaped their character for the next 30 years. Played five, won five. Thank goodness tonight’s game is only a friendly.
