SHOOT-OUT! The Soccer Penalty-Kick Tiebreaker

SHOOT-OUT! The Soccer Penalty-Kick Tiebreaker

© CoachingAmericanSoccer.com^®

A penalty-kick tiebreaker, or “shoot-out,” may be used at the end of a tied soccer game when a winner must be decided.  This is often in a tournament that utilizes a single-elimination format designed to ultimately produce a unique champion.

The penalty shoot-out tiebreaker procedure, also known as “penalties” or “PKs,” is described in Law 10 of the IFAB Laws of the Game, “Determining the Outcome of a Match,”  whereby multiple penalty kicks are used to reach a conclusion.  The technical aspects of the penalty kick itself are described in Law 14 of the IFAB Laws of the Game, “The Penalty Kick.”  The rules of a competition decide when a shoot-out will be used.

In general, in a soccer match that ends in a tie after regulation time and extra time, a penalty kick shoot-out is used if necessary to determine the winner.  The process begins with each team selecting five players to take penalty kicks, alternating between the two teams.  The players shoot from the penalty spot, 12-yards from the goal, aiming to score against the opposing goalkeeper.

If one team scores more goals than the other after each team has taken five kicks (unless mathematically already decided), that team wins.  However, if the score remains tied after the initial round of five kicks, the shoot-out moves into a “sudden death” phase.  In this phase, more players from each team alternate taking one penalty kick at a time.  The first team to score, while the other misses, wins the match.  The shoot-out continues until a winner is determined, and the game concludes with the winning team advancing or achieving a final victory.

A soccer coach should prepare their team for a penalty-kick tiebreaker well in advance, both mentally and tactically, knowing that it will be used in any given tournament.  First, the coach must know all of the aspects of Law 10.  It is important to note that some modifications may be made to the Law as part of the rules of a tournament.  If so, these modifications must also be known.   In summary:

1.  General Rules

• The penalty shoot-out takes place if a game remains tied after regulation time, and extra time (if played), and a winner is required.
• The entire process is conducted at one goal.
• Only players on the field at the end of extra time (or regulation time if no extra time is played) are eligible to take part.  Players may not leave the field.
• Teams each take five alternating penalty kicks unless one team gains an insurmountable (mathematically impossible to overcome in five kicks) lead.  If still tied, teams take equal kicks a pair at a time, one-against-one, until a score is not matched.
• Each team establishes the order in which their players take their kicks, including the goalkeeper.  Each player may only take one kick, unless still tied after all eleven have kicked, then they may kick again but they do not have to go in the same order.  The referee does not have to be informed of the order in advance.
• The team that scores the most goals after five kicks, or with an unmatched goal during sudden death, is declared the winner.

2.  The Procedure

A. Referee’s Role:

• • The referee conducts a coin toss to determine the goal where the kicks will be taken (unless there are safety concerns, then the referee may decide).
  • The referee conducts a coin toss to decide which team kicks first.
  • The referee (and assistant referees) ensures that all kicks follow the rules of the penalty shoot-out and of penalty kicks.  This includes if a re-kick is to be taken in accordance with Law 14.
  • The referee keeps the official record of the kickers and the results.

B.  Executing the Kicks:

• • Teams alternate penalty kicks.  Prospective penalty takers for each team must stay at the halfway line (inside the center circle) and send one clearly-identified player forward to take a kick upon the team’s turn.  Goalkeepers alternate standing at the intersection of the penalty area line with the bi-line.
  • Each kick is taken from the penalty mark, 12-yards from the goal line.
  • The goalkeeper and the kicker must follow the penalty-kick procedures as contained in Law 14.
  • Neither the kicker nor any player, other than the goalkeeper, may play the ball again once it has been kicked. The kick is over once it is clear physically that the motion of the ball from the kick has completed its course, either by a score in accordance with Law 10, a successfully completed save, or a miss.  (A shot touched by the goalkeeper may spin into the goal and count.  A shot that may be touched by the goalkeeper and be spinning into the goal can still be saved by the goalkeeper.)

C.  Number of Kicks:

• • Each team takes five penalty kicks (unless one team gains a decisive mathematical lead before all five kicks are taken).
  • If the score remains tied after five kicks each, the shoot-out proceeds to “sudden death” penalty kicks, where teams continue to alternate taking one kick each until one team scores and the other misses.

D.  Goalkeeper Regulations:

• • Any eligible player (who was on the field after full playing time) can switch in as a goalkeeper if announced to, and recognized by, the referee.
  • A goalkeeper who is injured may be replaced by a substitute if the team has unused substitutes available.

E.  Players’ Participation:

• • All eligible players must take a penalty kick before any player takes a second kick.
  • If a team has fewer players due to red cards, the opposing team must reduce their number of eligible kickers to match.

3.  Determining the Winner

• The team that scores more goals after all necessary penalty kicks is declared the winner.
• The result of the penalty shoot-out is recorded as part of the match result [example 1-1 (4-3)], but goals scored during the shoot-out do not count toward individual statistics.

Coaches must prepare their teams for all aspects of the entire penalty-kick tiebreaker procedure, in advance, from the coin toss to the final kick.  In summary:

1. Pre-Match Preparation

• • • Review Law 10: Go over all of the portions pertaining to the shoot-out.
    • Coin Toss for Goal: One specific player needs to have been identified in advance to take the coin toss to determine which goal will be used for the shoot-out.  Often, this is the captain or the goalkeeper.  If it is not the goalkeeper, the player must confer with the goalkeeper prior to the toss in order to obtain their preference of goal.   In general, the preference for goal may be based on such things as weather conditions, lighting, or field stability.  At higher levels, it may be based on the location of the team’s fans behind the goal.
    • Coin Toss for First Kick: One specific player needs to have been identified in advance to take the coin toss that determines which team will kick first.  This is often the same player who participated in the toss that determined the goal to be used, but it does not have to be.  The winner of the toss is given the choice of kicking first or second.  In general, the team that wins the toss prefers to kick first.
    • Practice Penalty Kicks:  All players, including the goalkeepers, should practice taking penalty kicks.  Penalty takers must understand that their kicks are to be made just like any other penalty kicks, regardless of the order in which they kick or the existing status of a shoot-out.  See “Penalty Taker” and “Penalty Kick – Goalkeeper.”
  • • Identify Penalty Takers:  Identify five primary shooters based first on their likelihood of being on the field at the end of the match and then on their technique, composure, and success rate in practice.  Similarly, identify the next six players on the same basis, usually accounting for the most-likely substitutions that would have been made in the second half or in extra time.
    • Rank the Penalty Takers:  Based on their success rate and coolness under pressure, rank the penalty takers, from one to eleven.  Tell the players the order in which they will take kicks.
    • Practice the Entire Process:  Simulate penalty shoot-outs in training, including participation by appointed “referees.”  Repeat with added pressure (e.g., crowd noise, time constraints, spectators, taunts from behind the goalkeeper, and a loud scorekeeper).  If there are enough players, set up two teams to work against each other.  Practice all the way from coin toss through sudden-death kicks.
    • Analyze Opponents:   As with regular, within-match penalty kicks, study the opposing goalkeeper’s tendencies (e.g., which way they dive more often) and the preferred kicks of opposing players.
    • Work with the Goalkeeper:   As always with penalty kicks, goalkeepers need to first be reassured that, as long as they try their best to make saves, they are not expected to stop kicks and an unfortunate result will not be held against them.  Second, goalkeepers need to understand that they must ignore the status (“score”) of the shoot-out while it is happening and to treat each penalty kick that they face as unique.  They must avoid giving in to the arbitrary pressure of the event and face each kick independently.
  2.  In-Match Preparation
  • • Avoid a Letdown:  If it appears that a shoot-out is imminent, prior to the conclusion of regular and/or extra time, players must not engage in a let-down that allows the winning goal to be scored.  Similarly, they must keep attacking to try to score the winner so that a shoot-out is not required.
    • Prepare the Players:  Before extra time ends, ensure that the best available designated shooters are on the field, focused, and confident.  As necessary, make substitutions before play ends.
    • Confirm the Order:  Ensure that the players understand the order of taking their kicks.  Clearly identify any changes that have had to be made, due to absences or substitutions, that make the order different from practice.
    • Encourage a Calm Approach:  Help players control nerves by emphasizing their usual penalty-kick technique rather than overthinking the situation.
  3. Execution Prior to the Shoot-out
  • • Manage the Players: Keep the players on the field who were participating at the final whistle.  Keep substitutes at the bench.
  • • Manage Emotions:  Stay calm to set the tone for the team.
    • Support the Goalkeeper:   Encourage confidence.
  4. Post Shoot-out
  • • Maintain Team Morale:  Whether the team wins or loses, offer brief, positive, constructive feedback and ensure players handle the outcome graciously.
    • Review Performance After the Match:  After the match is over and the players have dispersed, while things are still fresh in mind, coaches should meet the next day and analyze which tactics worked and what can be improved upon for future tiebreakers.  Players may be asked later to provide input.

  Proper preparation ensures players remain composed under pressure, increasing the chances of success in a penalty shoot-out.

  Soccer Coaching Tips:

  • If penalties should make it past a full round and the kickers have to go again, this is where players having practiced a different strike may be helpful, so that the keeper may not be able to guess correctly that a penalty taker may just perform the same kick again.
  • As a strategy, a team may actually “play for a tie” in order to intentionally take the game to penalty kicks. This is perceived to be employed by a “weaker” team and usually does not make for very enjoyable soccer.  This often involves “bunkering” or the “catenaccio” and needs to be recognized and addressed within-game, especially to ensure that a fast-break goal is not scored against or that players do not succumb to frustration.

  Other advanced notes, based on Law 10 and referee advice, (and the picture above) courtesy of Wikipedia:

  • No player on either team, other than the designated kicker and the goalkeeper, may touch the ball.
  • A kick results in a goal scored for the kicking team if, after having been touched once by the kicker, the ball crosses the goal line between the goal posts and under the crossbar, without touching any player, official, or outside agent, other than the defending goalkeeper.
  • The ball may touch the goalkeeper, goal posts, or crossbar any number of times before going into the goal as long as the referee believes the ball’s motion is the result of the initial kick. This was clarified after a kick in a 1986 World Cup shoot-out rebounded off a post, hit the goalkeeper’s back, and subsequently bounced into the goal.
  • Only players who were on the field at the end of play or temporarily absent (injured, adjusting equipment etc.) are allowed to participate in the shoot-out. If at the end of the match and before or during the kicks, one side has more players on the pitch than the other (whether as a result of injury or red cards), then the side with more players must reduce its numbers to match the opponents; this is known as “reduce to equate.”  For example, if Team A has eleven players but Team B only has ten, then Team A chooses one player to exclude.  Players excluded this way may not take any further part in the procedure, either as kicker or goalkeeper, except that they can be used to replace a goalkeeper who becomes injured during the shoot-out. The rule was introduced by the International Football Association Board in February 2000 because previously an eleventh kick would be taken by the eleventh (i.e. weakest) player of a full-strength team and the first (i.e. strongest) player of a sub-strength team.  A rule change in 2016 eliminated the possibility of a team gaining such an advantage if a player is injured or sent off during the shoot-out.
  • A team may replace a goalkeeper who becomes injured during the shoot-out with a substitute (provided the team has not already used the maximum number of substitutes allowed by the competition) or by a player previously excluded under the “reduce to equate” provision.
  • If a goalkeeper is sent off during the shoot-out, another player who finished the game must act as goalkeeper.
  • If a player, other than the goalkeeper, becomes injured or is sent off during the shoot-out, then the shoot-out continues with no substitution allowed. The opposing team must reduce its numbers accordingly.
  • Any player remaining on the field may act as the goalkeeper and it is not required for the same player to have acted as a goalkeeper during the game.
  • Kicks from the penalty mark must not be delayed for a player who leaves the field of play. The player’s kick is forfeited (not scored) if the player does not return in time to take a kick.
  • The referee must not abandon the match if, during the kicks, a team is reduced to fewer than seven players.

  © Copyright, John C. Harves