Euro 2024: Penalty shootouts set to take center stage as psychology and new tactics come into play

The penalty shootout is a tense battle of wills over 12 yards (11 meters) that has increasingly become a huge part of soccer and an unavoidable feature of the knockout stage in the biggest competitions. Shootouts were added to the laws of the game in 1970 and have marred careers, spawned pizza adverts and helped to definitively secure a place for Lionel Messi in the pantheon of soccer greats. It’s why those who delve into the psychology and science of soccer are perplexed as to why this tiebreaker system has been overlooked by many teams especially in these data-driven times. Shootouts are likely to be a key part of Euro 2024’s knockout stage starting Saturday. The penalty shootout is a tense battle of wills over 12 yards (11 meters) that has increasingly become a huge part of soccer and an unavoidable feature of the knockout stage in the biggest competitions. Shootouts were added to the laws of the game in 1970 and have marred careers, spawned pizza adverts and helped to definitively secure a place for Lionel Messi in the pantheon of soccer greats. It’s why those who delve into the psychology and science of soccer are perplexed as to why this tiebreaker system has been overlooked by many teams especially in these data-driven times. Shootouts are likely to be a key part of Euro 2024’s knockout stage starting Saturday.  AP Technology and Science