Panenka - the penalty that killed a career and started a feud

Back home, Panenka had been progressive successful another, almost daily, punishment contest.

After training astatine his Prague nine broadside Bohemians, Panenka and goalkeeper Zdenek Hruska would enactment down to practise spot-kicks.

It was a very individual duel. Panenka would person 5 penalties - he would person to people each five, Hruska would person to prevention conscionable one. Whoever mislaid would bargain their post-training brew aliases chocolate.

"I was perpetually paying him," says Panenka.

"So successful nan evenings I would deliberation up ways to hit him - that's erstwhile I realised that arsenic I ran up nan goalkeeper would hold for nan past 2nd and past gamble, diving to nan near aliases nan right.

"I thought: 'What if I nonstop nan shot almost straight into nan centre of nan goal?'"

Panenka tried it. He recovered that introducing different imaginable punishment and immoderate hesitation to Hruska's mind meant he was winning more, spending little and still getting his post-training treat.

It could person stopped location and remained a portion of unseen showboating. But Panenka realised his caller method was much than that. He had unearthed a morganatic 12-yard tactic.

Over nan adjacent mates of years, he tested it connected larger and larger stages. First, successful training, past successful friendlies and finally, nan period earlier Euro 1976, against section rivals Dukla Prague successful a competitory fixture.

Each clip it worked and his condemnation grew.

"I made nary concealed of it," Panenka says.

"Here [in Czechoslovakia] group were good alert of it.

"But successful occidental countries, successful apical shot countries cipher was willing successful Czechoslovak shot astatine all.

"Maybe they were kept up pinch immoderate results, but they didn't watch our games."

So, location was nary laminated cheat expanse aliases whispered instructions from a backroom expert for Sepp Maier.

As nan West German goalkeeper crouched connected his goalline and fixed his eyes connected Panenka, he had only his ain instincts to spell on.

Maier's team-mate Uli Hoeness had blazed nan erstwhile spot-kick complete nan bar. It was nan first miss of nan shoot-out, aft other clip vanished pinch nan teams still locked together astatine 2-2.

Instantly nan stakes became abrupt decease and entity high. If Panenka scored, West Germany were beaten.

Panenka's run-up was agelong and fast. He seemed intent, for illustration Hoeness, connected thumping his instep done nan backmost of nan ball.

Instead, pinch nan astir important footwear of his life, he fell backmost connected his trusted trick. A deft tickle sent nan shot floating down nan centre of nan goal. Panenka's limb was aloft successful ceremony earlier it deed nan net. Maier, flummoxed and failing, scrambled backmost to his feet, but only successful clip to sprout a rueful look astatine Panenka wheeling distant successful celebration.