- With the 2026 knockouts expanding, extra time and penalty shootouts are likely to be more frequent — expect more dramatic finishes.
- Goalkeepers obsessively study takers, rely on perfect timing and commitment, and even use mind games (Schmeichel’s team once worked with a “mentalist”).
- Penalty takers mix techniques — stutter-steps, chips or power shots — to bait keepers; it often comes down to timing and how the ball comes off the foot.
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