Even the smallest, most insignificant details are also important. On which goal will the players shoot? Fans of which team 🍎 will sit behind that goal? Which team is in a better mental state at the moment of the penalties?

Surely, everybody 🍎 remembers the 2005 Champions League Final and Liverpool’s historic triumph in the penalty shoot-out. Would it be possible if the 🍎 course of the match was different? After the first 45 minutes, the only thing that Milan players were thinking about 🍎 was the destination they will chose for their holidays. The Italians were crushing Liverpool and only a madman could have 🍎 predicted that The Reds will level the scores. But it happened. With the roaring support from their fans, Liverpool scored 🍎 three goals and after the extra time, there was a 3:3 draw. Every non-Milan fan supported the English side in 🍎 the penalties. Italians were both afraid and shocked because of what have happened. After their fantastic comeback, Steven Gerrard and 🍎 his Liverpool team gained a massive psychological advantage before the penalties, which they had to use to win the trophy.

An 🍎 interesting observation was made by the English scientists. Based on their studies, they determined that a team that begins the 🍎 penalty shoot-out have 60% chances of winning it in the end. Why is that? There is theoretically less pressure put 🍎 on the first players that shoot the penalties. If they will not convert their penalty, in the worst case there 🍎 will still be a draw. From the other hand, the player ending the penalties, in the best case can level 🍎 the scores (given that no one before him missed a penalty).

To confirm this, the scientists have made a study among 🍎 the players from lower English leagues - on the question whether they would want to start or end the penalty 🍎 shoot-out, 100 / 100 answered they would want to take the first penalty.

Best example? In the final of the 1986 🍎 European Cup edition (the predecessor of the UEFA Champions League) FC Barcelona played on the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium, Steaua 🍎 Bucuresti. The Catalan club was an obvious favourite but after the 120 minutes there was a goalless draw and the 🍎 winner had to be determined via penalties. The Romanian side was picked to begin the shoot-out. Dismayed Barcelona stars were 🍎 unable to convert a single penalty and beat Helmuth Duckadam. Romanian goalkeeper saved a record number of 4 shots and 🍎 his team was victorious.