Penalty kicks can be killing, especially for the kickers ending up on the wrong side. There is no logical explanation for football’s biggest names cracking under pressure, with only the goalkeeper to beat from a distance of 12 yards. World Cup 2018 sensation, Kylian Mbappe, joined a list of football luminaries who have misfired from the penalty spot. France paid the penalty by exiting the Euro 2020 knockout stage. The famous number 10 in the world shrugged his shoulders, walked back with hands holding his head. Switzerland celebrated a rousing 5-4 (3-3) win.

With ample space and time available for the player on the ball to compose his thoughts and choose his spot in the net, something happens in the mind. The situation gets the better of kickers like Mbappe and the goalkeeper emerges as the saviour. Switzerland’s custodian Yann Sommer waited for any check by the referee on the VAR cameras after blocking the fifth France kick, before wheeling off in celebration at National Arena, Bucharest.