The Spain was beaten 5-3 and eliminated on penalties by theItaly. Azzurri in the final of the European Championships, Furie Rosse at home after having played an excellent game, which first they risked losing and then came back with a goal from Morata. Fatal to the Iberian selection was the lottery of shots from the spot that had rewarded it in the second round and in the quarterfinals. This time it went wrong. And the disappointment is even greater because, ironically, two of the protagonists of the match made mistakes from eleven meters: Dani Olmo, who drove Chiellini and Bonucci crazy with his false nine position and his plays; Juventus Alvaro who had been the author of the momentary 1-1 signed after the advantage of Chiesa.
The accusation of the Catalan defender on penalties
Gerard Piqué takes it badly. Coming home like this hurts even more. It leaves the bitter taste of mocking defeat in the mouth. Leave that aftertaste of injustice of the numbers because on the pitch, on points, the Spanish team would have deserved. The Catalan defender points his finger at one aspect in particular: the team that shoots first from the spot certainly has an advantage over the second.
It is no coincidence that in the four matches that went to penalties between Euro 2020 and Copa America, the team that shot first won. The statistics say that the former has more options and I do not find it fair that in a competition like this a draw makes you start at a disadvantage.
The study that ‘confirms’ Piqué’s words
Is Piqué telling a lie? Does he speak only because he does not digest defeat? Not exactly. There is a grain of truth. A study published by the American Economic Association examined the most important national and international games played between 1970 and 2000 that were resolved from the spot. The study found that in 60% of cases, whoever kicks the first penalty then wins. This is why the Catalan defender speaks of “injustice” that the authors of the research themselves believe can be avoided in a very simple way … do like the tie-break in tennis: after the first penalty kick, the other team can then fight for first twice in the sequence.
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