Contrary to the hackneyed cliché, penalty shootouts are not a lottery. Scoring and saving penalties are skills in their own right, while strategy and psychology also play their part.
Manchester City and Chelsea lock horns at Wembley Stadium on Saturday in a tasty FA Cup semifinal.
Arsenal fan Charlene Smith believes winning the home leg was vital for Mikel Arteta's side if they were to make it past Bayern Munich and reach the Champions League semi-finals. The Gunners could not take a lead to Munich despite no Bayern fans being allowed to attend the first leg at Emirates Stadium last week and exited the competition to a second-half Joshua Kimmich header at the Allianz Arena. "It's the lack of experience," Smith told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast.
Calls for action against Israel in international soccer because of the conflict with Hamas will be stepped up by Palestinian officials at the annual FIFA congress next month. The Palestine Football Association proposal to 211 member federations in Thailand calls for “appropriate sanctions, with immediate effect, against Israeli teams,” according to FIFA documents released late Wednesday, one month before the May 17 meeting. The motion notes “international law violations committed by the Israeli occupation in Palestine, particularly in Gaza” and cites FIFA statutory commitments on human rights and against discrimination.