Spain loses the most penalty shootouts in the World Cup

The first time Spain lost a penalty shootout at the World Cup was in 1986. At that time, under the guidance of coach Miguel Munoz, they lost 4-5 to Belgium after drawing 1-1 in 120 minutes in the quarterfinals. Former striker Eloy is the only one to fail.

At the 2002 World Cup, Spain had to take penalties in both knock-out matches. In the 1/8 round, although Juanfran and Valeron failed to kick, they beat Ireland 3-2 after drawing 1-1 in 120 minutes. In that match, former goalkeeper Iker Casillas successfully saved a penalty in the second half. To date, this is the only time Spain has won a penalty shootout at the World Cup.

In the quarterfinals, after drawing host Korea 0-0, Spain once again had to take a penalty kick. Casillas could not stop any of Korea's shots and midfielder Joaquin's missed shot in the fourth round made them lose 3-5.

The same thing happened to Spain four years ago, when they lost to 2018 World Cup host Russia in the round of 16. Koke and Iago Aspas failed to kick while the four Russian players all succeeded.

Spain's penalty shootout success rate at the World Cup is just 57.8%, with 11 out of 19 attempts. At Euro 2020, Spain also lost on penalties to Italy in the final. But their face in this tournament is better, with two defeats in seven penalty shootouts.

The loss to Morocco at Education City on December 6 also saw Spain miss the entire penalty shootout for the first time. Pablo Sarabia kicked the post in the first round, before Carlos Soler and Sergio Busquets were caught by goalkeeper Bono in the remaining two rounds.

This 0-3 defeat also put Spain ahead of England and Italy to an undesirable position - the team that lost the most penalty shootouts in the history of the tournament. The best penalty shootout team at the World Cup is Argentina with four wins out of five.