7 most iconic penalty misses in club football

Chelsea’s John Terry misses the deciding penalty in the penalty shootout of the 2008 Champions League final against Manchester United.ChPenalties – they have given joy and grief, in equal measure, to players, coaches and fans everywhere ever since they were first introduced in 1891 as a way to reduce fouls in the box. There are few things more heartbreaking than seeing your team lose out to a dubious penalty decision in the dying moments of the game, or losing a tournament final after the cruel lottery of a shootout. And yet all that doesn’t matter if you’re on the winning side.In any case, love it or hate it, the penalty kick is an established part of the game today. It is, in theory, one of the easiest ways to score. Twelve yards out, with only the goalkeeper between you and glory. The question is: can it get any easier? In practice though, the pressure and sheer magnitude of the occasion often gets the better of the penalty taker. And then he ‘chokes.’It is no great sin to miss a penalty; many greats of the game have all been there and done that. But the fact is; some misses are difficult to forgive and forget, especially when taking into account what happens after it. The loss, which is followed by the abuse, the jokes, the laughs and the tears. It is something that can haunt a player for a lifetime.Ranging from the hilarious to the unbelievable, here are 7 iconic penalty misses in club football.

#7 Charlie Adam: Liverpool vs Cardiff City - 2012 League Cup final

This is one of the internets most famous penalties. In the League Cup final of 2012, Cardiff City had scored late in extra time to drag Kenny Dalglishs Liverpool to a penalty shootout. The first two penalties were missed as both Steven Gerrard and CardiffsKenny Miller hit the post.

Next up was yet another miss but this was nothinglike the first two. Liverpools Charlie Adamblasted the ball over with his left foot; itflewhigh over the keeper and the post, into the Wembley stands.It was a kick that would have won a game in style in some other sport, but not in this one. Fact is,Adam is generally a decent penalty taker but somehow he managed to mess it all up horribly that night.

In the end, themiss did not matter as Cardiff went on to miss two more penalties while Liverpool scored their next three. The Cup wouldgo to Merseysideand Charlie Adam could celebrate in relief.

However, as hard as he would try to forget it, folks on the Internetwould ensure that his spotkickwould remain famous. It spawned dozens of memes that do the rounds even today.