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Penalty kings
Steven LynchOctober 23, 2014
Was the penalty shootout between Liverpool and Middlesbrough the longest one in professional football? asked Dave Harrison
Liverpool finally won that epic shootout in their recent League Cup third-round match against Middlesbrough at Anfield 14-13. In all, 30 penalties were taken - both sides missed one early on before Albert Adomah failed to score with the 30th attempt.
The previous record for a professional match in England was 28 penalties, in a shootout that also ended 14-13: Dagenham & Redbridge edged out Leyton Orient in the first round of the 2011-12 Johnstone's Paint Trophy, when the 28th kick was missed.
There had been three previous League Cup shootouts that ended 9-8: Arsenal beat Rotherham in 2004, Manchester City overcame Stoke City in 1982, and Aston Villa beat Colchester United in 1979.
The FA Cup record is 11-10, by Macclesfield Town over Forest Green Rovers in the 2001-02 first round.
A recent article in The Guardian claimed that the longest shootout anywhere in the world was in an under-10 game in Derbyshire in 1998, between Mickleover and Chellaston. It contained no fewer than 66 spot-kicks … and Mickleover finally won 2-1.
The most in a senior match is 48, when Olympiakos beat AEK Athens 15-14 in the Greek Cup final in 2009. However, the highest score in a shootout is 20-19, in the Argentine Championship in 1988, when Argentinos Juniors beat Racing Club after the 44th penalty.
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