Panenka (penalty kick)

In association football, the Panenka is a technique used in penalty kick-taking in which the player, instead of kicking the ball directly into the goal, gives a subtle touch underneath the ball, causing it to rise and fall within the goal thus deceiving the goalkeeper. It was created by Czech player Antonín Panenka, who presented this technique to the world in the 1976 UEFA European Championship finals, when he beat German goalkeeper Sepp Maier and gave the title to the Czechoslovakian national team. After its sensational debut in the tournament, the Panenka kick has been used on rare occasions and mostly by highly respected players who can deal with the consequences of missing a penalty kick that way.