In the Euro 2012 quarter-final shootout against England, Andrea Pirlo walked up to face Joe Hart. While the whole stadium held its breath, he chipped the ball gently down the middle, as casually as a pass to a friend.
It is regarded as one of the best penalties in the history of the tournament, and it was not a one-off. The Panenka became Pirlo's trademark and he used it more than once in his career.
The record under the chip
Behind the showpiece was a very good penalty taker. Pirlo kept an excellent record across his years at AC Milan and Juventus and with the Italian national team. The chip only works if the taker is calm enough to wait for the goalkeeper, and calm was the thing Pirlo had in the largest supply.
He passed the ball the same way, as if nothing around him was urgent. At 12 yards that quality was worth a great deal.
The chip against England was cheeky, bold and lovely to watch all at once. The maestro is number 11.
Up next tomorrow: number 10.
