A penalty shootout is a lottery.That’s probably the oldest football-attached myth that needs to be busted into pieces.Because it’s anything but that, it requires massive concentration and hours and hours of practice before the game. The amount of preparation affects other inputs and reduces the possibility of missing massively.AFCON 2021: The hosts are out! After abysmal penalty taking from Cameroon, Egypt are in the finalAnd it seems that it’s just what Cameroon lacked ahead of their do-or-die AFCON semifinal tie against Egypt on Thursday night. Two missed penalties and one save made by ‘Big Gabovski’ (more about this extraordinary guy you can find HERE) made all the difference in the shootout and decided the winner.SAT: 22.00: (4.10) BURKINA FASO (3.40) CAMEROON (2.05) Former Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure – once a household name in the EPL and La Liga – told Egypt deserved to win because they played well defensively. However, he emphasized the importance of penalties that the hosts dreadfully took.”It seems to me like Cameroon did not prepare for the penalties. When I was with Ivory Coast, we had a training shootout after each session. It did not look like they had done that. As soon as they missed one, there was pressure and more pressure. And you see, with N’Jie… I don’t know what was going through his head, ” Toure told BBC.Harold Moukoudi has his penalty saved by Egypt’s Mohamed Abou Gabal during a penalty shootout (©REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani)Another former Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha added:”Whenever you see a team in a huddle ahead of a shootout, you never see someone who is really angry because they have not been selected to take a penalty. It is because it is a very tough situation.”People who want to take one, it doesn’t mean they are ready for the moment.”
