Over 40 Keeper stops EIGHT consecutive penalties!!! Options

[AEK Chicago]

Last weekend I attended the excellent Schwaben Tournament here in suburban Chicago, as two of my gs.com players were participating.

Schwaben, the host club, had their over 40 side entered in the over 30 division. They made it out of the group stage on Saturday to the quarterfinals on Sunday. That first quarterfinal match went to pk's, where the Schwaben O40 keeper saved three CONSECUTIVE spot kicks to give his team the victory (onlt three were taken). As luck would have it, their next match (ironically, against Schwaben's Over 30 side) also went to pk's, and wouldn't you know it, the same keeper saved THREE MORE CONSECUTIVE PK's, sending his team to the final.

Speaking to others at the tourney, I came to find out that the SAME KEEPER had also saved two pk's in a match on Friday night, thus making it EIGHT CONSECUTIVE pk's stopped.

Has anyone ever heard of or seen something like this?

I find it absolutely incredible.

[Red Spartan]

Thats very impressive man!! Never heard of anything like that-- at any age

[AEK Chicago]

If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would have never believed it.

And you're talking about some OUTSTANDING over 30 sides, with former professional and Division 1 collegiate players in them. We're not talking beer bellied old man soccer here. My gs.com team would have a hell of a time even trying to make it out of the group stages.

Funny thing is, the keeper himself was the most unlikely looking sort of fella. Short (maybe 5'7"), with a goofy looking cap, and not a particlarly athletic physique.

[Greekaus]

Thats some incredible record no matter what the quality level is. The only similar thing Ive heard was that once some guy called Christos Aneziris from Chicago missed 8 consecutive penalties and blamed everything but himself for all those missed attempts.


I remember watching as a kid the Great Nikos Sarganis when playing for Kastoria saved 3 Olympiakos penalties in one match.

[Manolara_AEKara]

There's a special trick into making the goalkeeper have a greater chance of stopping a penalty. This goalie might've known it, and the penalty takers unaware of it.

[greekchampion04]

whats the secret?

[RedNewYork]

watch their eyes?

[Isidoros]

Sign him up for Greece, he is in the age range they are looking for

[Pliktra797]

lol there is no special trick other than the leaning before the kick but that is very marginal and small to observe. I've never heard of so many ppl saving penalties like that though! Players aren't supposed to look at the area they are kicking to and if they do it's on purpose to mislead the keeper.

the only trick is to watch the lean and their hips but any decent quality penalty kick takers can decieve the keeper easily. Your best shot is to guess and make your body as big as possible.

[Trajkov]

Thats some incredible record no matter what the quality level is. The only similar thing Ive heard was that once some guy called Christos Aneziris from Chicago missed 8 consecutive penalties and blamed everything but himself for all those missed attempts.
I remember watching as a kid the Great Nikos Sarganis when playing for Kastoria saved 3 Olympiakos penalties in one match.

Ah you at the tournament, especially you Greekaus. You forgot our last game on Sunday with that team from Toronto. That handball of a match score of 6-5, in injury time, and that defender of ours comitting that penalty. Do you remember who that keeper was who saved the penalty to give our team the win at 6-5?

I told my father and brother the score, and they thought that we were playing handball.

lol there is no special trick other than the leaning before the kick but that is very marginal and small to observe. I've never heard of so many ppl saving penalties like that though! Players aren't supposed to look at the area they are kicking to and if they do it's on purpose to mislead the keeper.

the only trick is to watch the lean and their hips but any decent quality penalty kick takers can decieve the keeper easily. Your best shot is to guess and make your body as big as possible.

That lean and hips thing does not work. The only thing that works is to follow the eyes of the shooter, from the time the referee gives the football to the shooter, all the way till the time they give it a boot. The shooter will almost always look at the side they will shoot from the beginning to the end of the play. That is what works for me.