Shootouts deal agony and ecstasy on a whim

HATTINGEN, Germany June 24 (Reuters) Since their introduction in 1982 penalty shootouts have caused some of the World Cup's highest highs and lowest lows, making heroes of journeymen players while exposing the fallibility of superstars.

Sixteen World Cup matches have been decided by the cruel but undeniably exciting tie-breaker, including three of the four quarter-finals in 1986, both semis four years later and the final in 1994.

''Kicks from the penalty mark'' is an innocuous phrase that for some teams is a virtual passport to the next round while for others it is enough to reduce them to gibbering wrecks.

The concept was introduced in the long-defunct Watney Cup in England in 1970 and the capricious nature of the beast was immediately apparent as George Best became the first man to score and his Manchester United team mate Denis Law the first to miss.

The shootout has never respected reputations and the seemingly simple post-match act of beating a goalkeeper from 12 yards has proved too much for such luminaries as Diego Maradona, Roberto Baggio, Michel Platini, Socrates and David Batty.

On the other hand, the careers of goalkeepers such as Ireland's Packie Bonner, Argentine stand-in Sergio Goycochea and Spain's Iker Casillas have been made by their saves.

IMPERIOUS GERMANS Germany lost the first major international shootout to Czechoslovakia in the 1976 European Championship final but have been imperious since, winning three out of three in World Cups and also beating England in the Euro 96 semi-finals.

Argentina also have few fears when 120 minutes are up as they are also ''three and o'' in the World Cup while Brazil have won five and lost three of their eight shootouts in tournaments, including one win and one defeat in Copa America finals.

Brazil's most famous shootout success came in the 1994 World Cup final after 120 goalless, gruelling minutes against Italy.

Such was the magnitude of the event that Italy's craggy-faced hard-man defender Franco Baresi was left a blubbering wreck after missing his spot kick.

Roberto Baggio, who had almost single-handedly hauled Italy to the final and acquired the nickname 'the divine ponytail', then made the last, agonising contribution.

He skied the decisive spot kick and stood under the gaze of a billion eyes, utterly alone.

For Italy it was one of a trio of shootout heartbreaks that began when they lost to Argentina in the 1990 semi-finals on home soil -- the South Americans having also beaten Yugoslavia in the quarter-finals the same way -- and continued when they went out to France in the 1998 quarters.

Italy did manage a penalties win in the 2000 European Championship semi-finals but that was against Netherlands, so it hardly counts.

INEPT DUTCH For a nation that has produced so much footballing talent, the Dutch have proved remarkably inept at shootouts, their team losing four of the five they have been involved in including two Euro semi-finals and the 1998 World Cup semi against Brazil.

They were particularly useless in the Euro 2000 semi-final against Italy when, having already missed two penalties in regulation time, they missed three out of four in the shootout.

England's record is similarly shocking, losing three out of four, including the semi-finals of Euro 96 and the 1990 World Cup, both to Germany.

Such is the fear engendered by the shootout that several big names have declined to take the loneliest walk in the game and for those who step up and fail the scar never fully heals.

Chris Waddle, who blazed England's final kick over the bar in 1990, was asked recently if he still thought about his miss every day. ''No, not any more,'' he said. ''Sometimes it doesn't kick in until the evening.'' REUTERS DH RS1953