5 Historic World Cup Penalty Misses

A Penalty Was Missed Last Night

Harry Kane missed a crucial penalty against Spain at Wembley last night, bringing back memories of a similar miss against France in the quarter-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. If these penalties had been converted, we might have had a different history to read and talk about. Let’s have a look at some iconic penalty misses.

The 5 most iconic and high-stakes penalty misses in FIFA World Cup history are:

1. Roberto Baggio (Italy vs. Brazil)  1994 Final, Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California.

Roberto Baggio was in the form of his life, playing some exquisite and sublime football, and had guided Italy to the final against Brazil. The match headed into a penalty shootout to decide the winner. Baggio blazed his penalty high over the crossbar, handing Brazil their fourth World Cup title. It remains the most famous penalty miss in football history.

Read on: Spain Beat England As Harry Kane Misses Penalty at Wembley

2. Asamoah Gyan (Ghana vs. Uruguay) 2010 Quarter-Final at Johannesburg, South Africa

After Luis Suárez was sent off for an intentional handball on the goal line in the 120th minute, Ghana were awarded a penalty with the last kick of extra time to become the first African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final. Asamoah Gyan’s powerful strike rattled the crossbar. Ghana subsequently lost the ensuing penalty shootout.

3. Harry Kane (England vs. France)-2022 Quarter-Final at the Al-Bayt Stadium, Al-Khor, Qatar

Trailing 2–1 late in the match, England were awarded a second penalty. Kane had already scored from the spot earlier in the game against his Tottenham Hotspur teammate Hugo Lloris. However, Kane fired this 84th-minute spot-kick well over the bar, ending England’s comeback attempt and sending France through to the semi-finals.

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4. Michel Platini (France vs. Brazil) – 1986 Quarter-Final at the Estadio Jalisco in Mexico

On his 31st birthday, French legend Michel Platini played in one of the greatest World Cup matches ever. After a 1–1 draw, the tie went to a shootout. Platini uncharacteristically blazed his kick over the crossbar. Fortunately for him, France still won the shootout 4–3 after Júlio César also missed for Brazil.

5. Aurelien Tchouameni & Kingsley Coman ( France vs Argentina) -2022 Final at the Lusail Stadium, Qatar

Regarded as the best World Cup Final ever played, France and Argentina were locked at 3-3, when the match went into a deciding penalty shootout. Aurelien Tchouameni missed his penalty shooting wide, and then Kingsley Coman’s effort was stopped by Emi Martinez. These two misses led to Argentina’s win and Lionel Messi’s first-ever World Cup Trophy.

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