sport news Pathetic penalties! Practice doesn't make perfect and goalkeeper's have done ... trends now
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A staggering 42 per cent of penalties have been fluffed in Qatar, as scoring a penalty at the 2022 World Cup is proving unusually tricky.
We've seen all manner of stuttering run-ups and feeble shots as the weight of pressure apparently afflicts everybody from veterans such as Spain's Sergio Busquets to Japan's inexperienced heroes.
Just 58 per cent of the 31 kicks have been converted. That's down from 71 per cent at the last finals. But why?
The weight of pressure apparently afflicts everybody including veterans like Sergio Busquets
Just 58 per cent of the 31 penalty kicks have been converted so far at the 2022 World Cup
Practice does not always make perfect
Spain boss Luis Enrique set his squad 'homework' of 1,000 penalties each before the World Cup. D grades all round, then. 'I don't think shootouts are a lottery — it's specific skills and if you train often, the skill will improve,' said Enrique.
But no amount of practice can imitate the stadium experience, complete with jeers and whistles.
When Japan lost their shootout, pundits were quick to point to their