Goalkeepers make their mark in penalty shootouts at Qatar World Cup
Thirteen of the 32 penalties in shootouts have been saved by the goalkeepers in Qatar 2022.
Published : Dec 12, 2022 21:15 IST , Doha
Croatia’s Dominik Livakovic has made four saves in two penalty shootouts in the ongoing World Cup.
The goalkeepers have been the focus of attention and the ultimate hero as two of the eight pre-quarterfinals and two quarterfinals have been decided on penalties. Dominik Livakovic has been instrumental in securing a second consecutive World Cup semifinals berth for Croatia as opponents have managed to score only thrice from eight spot-kick attempts in the round-of-16 win over Japan and the scalp of Brazil in the last eight.
“Dominik is a fantastic goalkeeper, and he is in top shape. He was the difference against Brazil. He was there to save us,” coach Zlatko Dalic said about Livakovic, who is the only player in the Croatian starting XI to play in the nation’s domestic league.
Thirteen of the 32 penalties in shootouts have been saved by the goalkeepers in Qatar 2022. The number was 13 out of 39 from the four knockout games that went to shootouts in Russia.
When we look at penalties awarded during regulation and extra-time, five of the 12 penalties have been saved in Qatar while in Russia, 29 penalties were awarded in 64 matches and seven of them were either saved or missed.
Goalkeepers in the semifinals
Yassine Bounou - Morocco
Hugo Lloris - France
Dominik Livakovic - Croatia
Emiliano Martinez - Argentina
Former Swiss No. 1 and Faryd Mondragon’s fellow FIFA Technical Study Group member, Pascal Zuberbuhler feels the numbers is astonishing given the fact that goalkeepers these days must keep one foot on the line till a penalty is taken. “Most goals have been saved a metre away from the line. A goalkeeper needs to keep one foot on the line, and despite that disadvantage, they have done wonderfully well. This has been possible because of timing and their explosiveness,” he said.
German World Cup winner Jurgen Klinsmann, the head of the FIFA group, however, feels the delays faced by penalty takers because of VAR checks might have adversely impacted the strikers. “The double checking by VAR takes a bit of time and you can over-think because of the time you have from the penalty being awarded and the actual shot taken. I am a big fan of Harry Kane and maybe if he had just come and shot it would have been different,” Klinsmann said about the England captain’s unfortunate miss from the spot in the 2-1 quarterfinals loss to France.
With four matches left in Qatar 2022, the focus will continue to be on the shot-stoppers – Livakovic, Emiliano Martinez (Argentina – 2 saves in the shootout against the Netherlands), Yassine Bounou (Morocco – 2 saves in the shootout against Spain) and Hugo Lloris (France) – as teams look to negotiate the final two hurdles.