Manchester United, Real Madrid and the Brazil national team have been involved in some of the worst penalty shoot-outs in football history.
The pressure of scoring from 12 yards after a gruelling match can render a footballer’s ingrained technique useless, leading to some awful showdowns from the spot.
We’ve trawled through the archives and picked out six laughable penalty shoot-outs, starting with a Women’s European Championship quarter-final…
Sweden v England (2025)
An epic comeback from England’s Lionesses saw them reverse a two-goal lead and take a superior Sweden side to penalties. Cue bedlam.
The ensuing shoot-out was both overwhelming and underwhelming, fraught with nerves and lacking in quality.
Sweden’s Jennifer Falk saved four penalties. England’s Hannah Hampton kept out two. Three players missed the target. Falk went from hero to zero after blasting one over the crossbar.
After watching their team-mates crumple under the pressure, Chloe Kelly and Lucy Bronze scored with superb spot-kicks and eventually helped England win 3-2.
It was both glorious and terrible, just as football should be.
Manchester United v Sunderland (2014)
As penalty shoot-outs go, Manchester United’s League Cup semi-final against Sunderland was a tense, nervy affair that had everyone unconsoliously trimming their fingernails.
As far as confident finishing under pressure goes, this one had all its participants violating the Trade Descriptions Act for masquerading as footballers.
It started badly with both teams’ first effort blazed over the bar and reached its nadir when Phil Jones launched his spot-kick towards Yorkshire.
David de Gea saved two penalties, but his competence was in vain as Rafael saw his shot parried clear by Sunderland keeper Vito Mannone to give the Black Cats a 2-1 shoot-out victory.
Four efforts were saved, three attempts were off-target and only three penalties were scored. Heroically bad, from both sides.
Brazil v Paraguay (2011)
Brazil had lost most of their mystique by 2011, but you could still count on the cream of Brazilian talent to boast impeccable technique with a football. Right?
Apparently not. After their Copa America quarter-final with Paraguay ended goalless, the Selecao somehow missed all four of their penalties and lost the shoot-out 2-0.
Thiago Silva’s weak effort set the tone and Elano, Andre Santos and Fred all missed for the hapless Brazilians.
“Brazil should’ve won after 90 minutes,” Paraguay coach Gerardo Martino said. “Sometimes we get these results. We played entirely differently from how we wanted to play.”
Ramires was more explicit: “After the way we played today, I’ve never seen a more unfair result in my entire career,” he said, ignoring his side’s disasterclass from the spot.
Manchester United v Real Madrid (2017)
Luckily for both Manchester United and Real Madrid, this excuse of a shoot-out took place in pre-season and escaped the vitriol it deserved.
This was a contest between the reigning Champions League and Europa League winners, yet everybody involved was so frazzled by the American heat that it resembled park football at its worst.
Anthony Martial, Scott McTominay and Victor Lindelof missed for United, while Mateo Kovacic, Oscar Garcia, Theo Hernandez and Casemiro all failed to convert for Madrid.
Amid the mayhem, only Madrid youngster Luis Miguel Quezeda converted for his side, while Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Daley Blind kept their heads to score and record a 2-1 shoot-out win for United.
Refunds all round, we think.
Bayern Munich in Borussia Dortmund (2015)
This heavyweight German Cup semi-final descended into farce after Bayern missed all four of their penalties in the shoot-out.
After slugging out a 1-1 draw, only Sebastian Kehl and Ilkay Gundogan scored from seven penalty-takers, with Bayern’s Xabi Alonso and Philipp Lahm slipping as they took their spot-kicks.
Manuel Neuer took and missed his side’s fourth penalty, with the incompetence on show presumably making Pep Guardiola claw at his head like an angry gibbon.
Yokohama F. Marinos in Vissel Kobe (2020)
A chaotic end to this Japanese Super Cup match saw Vissel Kobe and Yokohama F Marinos players miss an incredible nine penalties in a row between them.
Former Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen was among the guilty culprits, as all semblance of composure and technique left the stadium and the 30-mile radius around it.
After the first four penalties were scored, Hotaru Yamaguchi eventually sealed victory for Vissel Kobe with the 14th kick of the shootout.
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