Baggio, Lampard and the World Cup stars who missed in penalty shootouts

Karan Tejwani

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:55 CDT
• 4 min read

The World Cup can bring as much heartbreak as it can bring joy, and many of the game’s great names have been on the sadder side of it on several occasions.

Penalties have an added bit of pressure to them and many of the sport’s finest players have famously crumbled from 12 yards out, leading to some of the tournament’s most infamous moments.

From Zico to Lionel Messi, many have missed important strikes from the spot, costing their teams and leading to exit or defeat.

READ: How will Argentina line up at the 2022 World Cup?

Here are the most famous penalty misses in World Cup history.

Uli Stielike: West Germany vs. France, 1982

West Germany met France in the semi-final of the 1982 World Cup in Spain and the match went to penalties after a 3-3 draw in Seville.

After both sides scored two each, Uli Stielike stepped for his and missed, but fortunately for him, France missed two more as his side went through. To this day, he is the only German to miss a penalty in a World Cup shoot-out.

Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle: England vs. West Germany, 1990

It wouldn't be a list about penalties without England and this one goes back to their first-ever World Cup shoot-out against West Germany, who forged a reputation as the masters of this form.

Coming in the semi-final of 1990 in Turin, both Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle missed their respective shots to send the Germans through to the final. This would be their best finish in a World Cup since 1966.

Roberto Baggio: Italy vs. Brazil, 1994

Arguably the most infamous of them all: Italy took on Brazil in the World Cup final of 1994, hoping to win their fourth world title. The game finished goalless, with neither side giving in and it went to a shoot-out to determine a winner.

Franco Baresi and Daniele Massaro missed before him, but it was Roberto Baggio’s decisive penalty miss that sealed Brazil’s win. The image of him head down, distraught while the Brazil squad cheer on behind him is one of the World Cup’s most iconic, but it was a moment of heartbreak for the Divine Ponytail.

David Trezeguet: France vs. Italy, 2006

Like Baggio, France star David Trezeguet also suffered his moment of heartbreak in the ultimate game. Just six years prior, he was the hero of the final at Euro 2000, but in Berlin that year, he wanted a place to hide. The game finished 1-1, and with Zinedine Zidane sent-off, France looked a bit lost going into the shoot-out.

Italy were perfect with their penalties, but it was Trezeguet’s shot, which hit the bar before going away, that proved to be decisive as France lost the World Cup final.

Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Jamie Carragher: England vs. Germany, 2006

Once again, England and Germany met in a knockout game and it went to penalties. This came in the World Cup quarter-final of 2006 and the Germans were at home this time around.

Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, traditionally having good records with penalties, both missed theirs, and Jamie Carragher's missed sealed the Germans' win.