Penalty kick facts for kids
A penalty kick (often called a pen) is a special type of free kick in football. It's given when a player commits a foul inside their own penalty box. The ball is placed 11 meters (about 12 yards) away from the goal. It's a big chance to score!
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What is a Penalty Kick?
A penalty kick is one of the most exciting moments in a football match. When a foul happens inside the penalty box, the referee stops the game. Instead of a regular free kick, the attacking team gets a penalty kick. This means one player from the attacking team gets to shoot the ball at the goal. Only the goalkeeper from the defending team can try to stop it. No other players are allowed near the ball until it's kicked.
How a Penalty Kick Works
To take a penalty kick, the ball is placed on a special spot, 11 meters from the goal line. The player taking the kick must shoot the ball forward. The goalkeeper must stay on their goal line until the ball is kicked. They can move sideways, but not forward. Once the ball is kicked, other players can join in if the ball bounces off the goal or the goalkeeper.
When is a Penalty Kick Given?
A penalty kick is given for many different fouls if they happen inside the penalty box. Some common fouls include:
- Handball: When a player touches the ball with their hand or arm on purpose.
- Tripping: When a player trips an opponent.
- Pushing: When a player pushes an opponent.
- Tackling from behind: When a player tackles an opponent unfairly from behind.
These fouls are serious because they happen very close to the goal, giving the fouled team a clear scoring chance.
Penalty Shootouts
Sometimes, a football match ends in a draw even after extra time. To decide which team wins, they might have a penalty shootout. This is a series of penalty kicks taken by each team. It's not part of the regular game, but a way to find a winner. Each team takes five penalty kicks, one after another. If it's still a draw after five kicks, they keep going one by one until one team scores and the other misses. This makes sure there's a clear winner for knockout tournaments.
Images for kids
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An association football player preparing to take a penalty kick, 2013.
See also
In Spanish: Penalti para niños
