The 2019 Women’s World Cup has been a thrilling tournament, with some incredible moments of skill and athleticism. However, one area where the teams have struggled is penalty kick success rate. In the eight penalty kicks taken during the tournament, only four have been converted.
This is a surprisingly low success rate, especially when compared to the men’s World Cup. In the 2018 men’s World Cup, a total of 28 penalty kicks were taken and 18 of them were converted – a 64% success rate.
So why are the women having such a hard time converting their penalty kicks? One possible explanation is that the women’s game is still relatively young and the players lack experience in taking penalty kicks. The men’s game has been around for much longer and players have had more time to practice and perfect their technique.
Another factor could be the pressure of the moment. Penalty kicks are taken in front of thousands of fans and millions of viewers, and the pressure can be overwhelming for some players. This could explain why some players are unable to convert their penalty kicks, even if they have the skill and technique to do so.
Finally, it could simply be down to luck. Penalty kicks are a high-pressure situation and sometimes a player can miss even if they have done everything right.
Whatever the reason, it is clear that the women’s teams need to work on their penalty kick success rate if they want to compete at the highest level. With more practice and experience, they can improve their success rate and make sure that their penalty kicks count when it matters most.
