Panenka's Penalty.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Antonín Panenka on his cheeky 'chip' penalty kick (á la Pirlo) that won Czechoslovakia the 1976 UEFA European Championship...


"That penalty...After each training session I used to stay behind after a game with our goalkeeper and take penalties – we would play for a bar of chocolate or a glass of beer. Since he was a very good goalkeeper it became an expensive proposition for me. So, sometimes before going to sleep I tried to think of ways of getting the better of him, to recoup my losses.
I got the idea that if I delayed the kick and just lightly chipped it, a goalkeeper who dived to the corner of the goal could not jump back up into the air, and this became the basis of my philosophy. I started slowly to test it and apply it in practice. As a side effect I started to gain weight, because I was winning the bets. I started to use it in friendlies, in minor leagues, and eventually I perfected it so I used it in the main league as well. The culmination was when I used it at the European Championship." 
Antonín Panenka 

http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/season=1976/historymaker/index.html#panenka+reflects+perfect+penalty+euro

No comments:

Post a Comment