It is either seen as a heroic gamble or a misjudged Hail Mary, but bringing on substitutes solely for their part in a penalty shootout has crept steadily into football.
For goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga in Chelsea’s Carabao Cup penalty shootout defeat at the hands of Liverpool, the risk did not pay off.
More on that later, of course, but the fact Thomas Tuchel was willing to thrown him on says everything about how the sport has come to embrace these late gambits.
Kepa Arrizabalaga blazed his penalty over in Chelsea’s Carabao Cup final defeat by Liverpool
There have been times when bringing on players for spot-kicks has worked, with Kepa cropping up as the hero for his side in their Super Cup victory last August.
Meanwhile, England suffered heartbreak at Euro 2020 against Italy in the final, with two of Gareth Southgate’s late changes unable to convert from 12 yards.
So, with all these examples in mind, Sportsmail takes a look at five of the most dramatic moments when stars are thrust into the spotlight for a tense lottery…
KEPA ARRIZABALAGA VS LIVERPOOL (2022 Carabao Cup)
Chelsea boss Tuchel was keen to pin the blame on himself for his Kepa change backfiring at Wembley, but ultimately the onus was on the star to step up to the task.
The Blues went down 11-10 in the shootout, after the goalkeeper came off the bench in the final knockings of extra-time solely for the shootout.
Even he would not have expected to take one, however, after both teams put together a stunning set of spot-kicks.
The shock was written across his face and, despite his unsuccessful attempt to steady himself before striking, he blazed his effort high over the crossbar.
Kepa was brought on by Thomas Tuchel for the shootout, but failed to save a single effort
His opposite number, Liverpool’s Caoimhin Kelleher, drilled home a superb penalty of his own to place the pressure on Kepa, who then came up short at the death.
‘Do you think we do this and don’t talk to the players? The players know the plan and we have done it before,’ Tuchel said post-match.
‘If you want to blame somebody, blame me; this is not a problem.
‘I take the decisions and I don’t take them to try to be the hero.
‘Today it took 11 penalties to find the winner. And if you want to blame anyone blame me, there’s no problem.’
RASHFORD AND SANCHO VS ITALY (Euro 2020)
For every England supporter, their worst nightmare unfolded before their very eyes against Italy in the ill-fated Euro 2020 final defeat.
With the scoreline locked at 1-1 after 90 minutes and then extra-time, the showdown went the distance – meaning penalties would decide who took home the trophy.
In the end it was Italy, with the trio of Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka all failing to net their efforts. The first two names were substitutes to take kicks.
Marcus Rashford endured agony after failing to score his penalty in the Euro 2020 final
Jadon Sancho’s own effort was palmed away by Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma
A cruel twist of fate saw Arsenal starlet Saka also come on and blaze off target.
‘That’s always the risk that you run, but they’ve been by far the best and to get all those attacking players on the pitch you have to do it late,’ Gareth Southgate said.
‘It was a gamble, but if we gambled early we may have lost the game in normal time anyway.’
The nation came behind the deflated trio immediately after their misses, but the long-term damage remains with England still trophyless since 1966.
MARK NOBLE VS MANCHESTER UNITED (Premier League, 2021)
Manchester United’s trip to West Ham ebbed and flowed with drama at every twist and turn, and Mark Noble’s last-gasp penalty miss summed up the rollercoaster tie.
Referee Martin Atkinson consulted VAR and opted to penalise Luke Shaw for a handball, and David Moyes quickly turned to the midfielder to take the spot-kick.
He clambered off the bench, race onto the pitch, scooped up the ball and then stared down at David de Gea, a goalkeeper often criticised for his penalty record.
Mark Noble came on specifically to take a penalty against Manchester United, but missed
This time, however, the unexpected happened. De Ge guessed correctly to deny Noble, sparking scenes of jubilation at one end and misery down the other.
In Moyes’ defence, Noble had not missed from the spot since 2016, meaning – on paper – it looked a shrewd idea to throw his penalty expert into the fray.
The shot was also Noble’s one-and-only touch of the game in the capital.
‘It is a poor decision,’ Graeme Souness said on Sky Sports. ‘It is the 95th minute he has not been warmed up to come on so he is stone cold.
David de Gea, much maligned for his poor penalty record, guessed the right way and saved
‘Whether it is the manager’s decision or Noble has asked to come on and take it, either way it is the wrong decision.
‘You wouldn’t do that stone cold. It does not matter if scores every penalty he takes in training or every penalty before today.
‘You don’t bring someone on who is stone cold.’
But what about when the gamble pays off?
TIM KRUL VS COSTA RICA (World Cup, 2014)
Louis van Gaal is renowned for his no-nonsense management style, and it is this quirk that led to him throwing Tim Krul on during the 2014 World Cup.
The goalkeeper replaced Jasper Cillessen with just seconds left of extra time, with Van Gaal revealing the change was made because of Krul’s greater height and reach.
Unfortunately for Cillessen, he was not made aware of the substitution until it happened, resulting in him furiously kicking a water bottle as he trudged off.
Louis van Gaal threw Tim Krul into the fray for Holland’s shootout with Costa Rice in 2014
However, the risk quickly turned out to be a tactical masterclass.
Krul saved spot-kicks from Bryan Ruiz and Marco Urena, with Holland beating Costa Rice 4-3 in the shootout to seal their spot in the semi-finals.
To try and get in his opponents’ heads, Krul said he spoke to every Costa Rice before they tried to beat him from 12 yards.
‘I don’t think I did anything wrong,’ he said after his heroics. ‘I did nothing crazy. I didn’t shout in an aggressive manner.
Krul successfully kept out two penalties, justifying the gamble to bring him on in extra-time
‘I told them I knew where they were going because I had analysed it. It worked.’
Cillessen, meanwhile, said: ‘I didn’t know it was going to happen, so I was angry. I wanted to play the penalty shootout.
‘It is a pity I wasn’t told before, but it worked very well.’
KEPA ARRIZABALAGA VS VILLARREAL (Super Cup, 2021)
Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa has experienced the highs and lows only a penalty shootout can throw up, but tasted glory after inspiring his side’s Super Cup win.
With the game against Villarreal locked level at 1-1, Thomas Tuchel decided to bring on the 27-year-old stopper on in the 121st minute, on the cusp of the spot-kicks.
He hadn’t touched the ball before stepping up to take his spot between the sticks, but the Blues boss revealed the decision was pre-planned.
‘It wasn’t spontaneous. We talked about it with the goalkeepers soon after we came [to the club],’ Tuchel said.
Kepa was the hero for Chelsea in the Super Cup tie after saving two spot-kicks from Villarreal
The stopper celebrated wildly with his team-mates, having also been subbed on in extra-time
‘We were well-prepared. We had a statistic that Kepa is the best in terms of saving penalties.
‘The analysts showed me the data and then we spoke with the players that this can happen in knockout games.’
Statistics showed that Kepa had saved five out of 22 penalties he had faced in his career, with first-choice option Edouard Mendy keeping out just two out of 26.
Kepa denied Aissa Mandi and Raul Albiol from the spot, sparking wild celebrations.
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