Real Madrid based their victory in the 2016 penalty shootout on consistently aiming to the shooters’ right side. Lucas Vázquez, Marcelo, Gareth Bale, Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo all shot toward the same section of Jan Oblak’s goal. This technical repetition proved infallible, as the Atlético de Madrid goalkeeper stayed in the center of the goal or reacted late on each of the five kicks.
The final, played in Milan on May 28, ended with a 5-3 score in the penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw in regulation time. The key moment came when Juanfran Torres missed the fourth kick for the rojiblanco team by smashing the ball against the post. That miss allowed Real Madrid to secure the Champions League title without missing a single shot, punishing the waiting strategy adopted by the opposing goalkeeper that night.
Years later, Oblak acknowledged that in penalty shootouts both prior study and luck play a role, admitting how difficult it is to read the intentions of elite players. The statistics from that match show that the decision by the blancos takers not to switch sides was a determining factor in the final result. Zidane’s team thus won their eleventh European Cup backed by technical precision that gave the Slovenian goalkeeper no chance to make a save.
Watch the penalties here: