SOCCER MUNDIAL NETWORK: BRAZIL 2013 CONFEDERATIONS CUP: Was Spain and Italy's spot-kick masterclass the best shoot-out of all time: 7-6 in PK

Friday, June 28, 2013

BRAZIL 2013 CONFEDERATIONS CUP: Was Spain and Italy's spot-kick masterclass the best shoot-out of all time: 7-6 in PK

Blasted: Xavi levelled scores for Spain by sending Gianluigi Buffon the wrong way with a powerful effort

Cheeky chips, ice-cool placements and top-corner rockets - Spain's 7-6 penalty shoot-out win against Italy in the Confederations Cup had it all.
Until Italy's Leonardo Bonucci sent his attempt sailing over the crossbar at 6-6, there were 12 penalties of exemplary quality from both sides, matched by new Manchester City signing Jesus Navas wrapping it up for Spain.
No scuffs down the middle that catch the keeper off-guard here - just twelve expertly executed spot-kicks that could teach England a thing or two when it comes to crucial deciders at the business end of tournaments.
Scroll down to watch the brilliant penalty shoot-out in full

Cheeky: Italy's Antonio Candreva kicked off the shootout by executing a 'Panenka' chip over Casillas

Blasted: Xavi levelled scores for Spain by sending Gianluigi Buffon the wrong way with a powerful effort

Too much to take: Iker Casillas couldn't watch Spain's penalties during the shootout

First up was Italy midfielder Antonio Candreva, with all the pressures that come with starting the shootout, but he showed no signs of cracking under the pressure by executing a deft 'Panenka' chip over the watching Iker Casillas and into the net.
Spain's legendary pass-master Xavi was next, and sent Gianluigi Buffon the wrong way with a hardly-struck shot high into the right-hand corner.
After an unreachable placed effort from Alberto Aquilani, Xavi's partner in crime Andres Iniesta said 'anything you can do, I can do better' and produced a mirror-image of the strike to Buffon's left to make it 2-2.

Placed: Alberto Aquilani strikes out of Casillas' reach, while Andres Iniesta does the same to Buffon (below)

Picked his spot: The section of the goal where each expert penalty went

There was no such calmness from Daniele De Rossi as the Italy midfielders strike into the top-left was so fierce it bounced back out of the net and past the six-yard box.
Gerard Pique was up next for Spain, with pop star wife Shakira's hands clenched in the stands, but the defender's confident placed effort had the Colombian diva out of her seat.
After diminutive Italy forward Sebastian Giovinco's stuttered run up ended in a calm into the bottom-left, Sergio Ramos levelled scores again with a De Rossi-esque blast.
Andrea Pirlo's effort was never going to be anything less than ice-cool, and the veteran midfield master didn't disappoint as he rolled the ball inch-perfectly into the corner past Casillas.

No chance: Daniele De Rossi blasts his effort high into the top left-hand corner

Hit don't lie: Gerard Pique's calmly-placed effort for Spain delighted his pop star girlfriend Shakira (below)

Ice-cool: Italy's Andrea Pirlo rolled a penalty perfectly into the bottom-left hand corner past Casillas

Straight in the corner: Chelsea star Juan Mata sent Buffon the wrong way with a clever left-footed strike

Chelsea star Juan Mata capped off his sensational injury-time display by feinting to send Casillas right before striking left-footed into the side netting.
After Riccardo Montolivo and Jordi Alba kept up the standard with well-placed efforts, it was Bonucci's turn - and the penalty masterclass was over.
Manchester City's new signing Jesus Navas sealed Spain's progression to the final with a strike into the bottom-left, and ended a shootout that will live long in the memory.
If anything summed up the exhilarating battle of technical brilliance, it was Casillas eschewing his team-mate's riotous celebrations for consoling opposite number Buffon and swapping shirts with the Italian.

It's over: Italy's Leonardo Bonucci sends his shot wildly over, ending the breathtaking run of penalties

We've done it: Manchester City new boy Jesus Navas (second left) celebrates after the winning shot

Touch of class: Casillas (right) went straight to console opposing number Buffon instead of celebrating

VIDEO The full shoot-out, each one a perfect penalty (well, apart from Bonucci's)

But how did they compare to last season's Premier League?

Although the graph above won't tell the whole story of the impressive variety of shots that made up the thirteen successful strikes, the graph showing penalty placement makes interesting reading, especially compared to last season's Premier League efforts.
The bottom-left hand corner is a favourite in both graphs, while De Rossi and Ramos' efforts in the top left - within a few minutes of each other - echo just five successful spot-kicks last season.
Meanwhile, any taker had better pull off something special like Candreva if they want maximum chance to score in the middle of the goal, as this was the least successful area for spot-kicks last season.