Missed Penalty Kicks, Last-Minute 'Theater Goals' at All-Time High... Why?

[Anchor]

Have you noticed an unusually high number of missed penalty kicks and last-minute "theater goals" in this World Cup? Statistics show that the penalty kick success rate is at an all-time low, while the number of "theater goals" in stoppage time is at an all-time high.

Reporter Lee Seonghun introduces other trends from this World Cup.

[Reporter]

Lionel Messi, the "god of football," who became the first player in World Cup history to miss two penalty kicks in a single tournament, is not an "exception" in this competition.

Including penalty shootouts, only 39 out of 59 penalty kicks in this tournament have been successful, marking a success rate of just 66.1%, the lowest in history.

Experts point to the fact that goalkeepers have adapted to the "stutter step" approach, which had been a popular trend among kickers for some time, as a major reason.

Many kickers have been slowing their tempo in front of the ball to wait and see which way the goalkeeper moves. As more goalkeepers have adapted to this technique and are no longer being fooled, many flustered kickers have ended up with weak or off-target shots.

Kickers who chose the "stutter step" in this tournament, like Messi in the group stage match against Austria, only succeeded 8 out of 15 times, a success rate of just over 50%.

Another reason cited is the increased predictive ability of goalkeepers, as they now have access to data on the past penalty kicks of all potential kickers.

Another characteristic of this tournament is the increase in "last-minute theater goals."

Out of the 281 goals scored in this tournament, 32 goals—or 11.4%—were scored during stoppage time after the 90th minute of the second half or the 15th minute of the second half of extra time, setting an all-time record.

The introduction of "hydration breaks" has extended stoppage time by at least 3 minutes. Furthermore, the hot and humid weather, along with the high altitude in Mexico, causes starting players to tire quickly, allowing substitute players to perform exceptionally well in the second half, which is considered a reason for the increase in "stoppage-time theater goals."

In fact, 17 of the 32 "late-game stoppage-time goals," or 53%, were scored by substitute players.

Football statistics provider Opta also noted that another trend in this tournament is the high average age of starting lineups, which is 28 years and 117 days, the oldest in history, amidst the strong performances of veteran stars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi.

(Video Editing: Lee Jae-seong, Data Source: OPTA Website)

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