Nothing is more stressful than penalty kicks -- that goes for players, coaches and fans.
One shot or save can decide your fate, and it all comes down to the goalkeeper guessing which way to jump.
There were a record-tying five games decided in penalty shootouts at the 2022 World Cup, including the first two quarterfinal matches and the final. By comparison, there were four shootouts at the World Cup in 1990, 2006, 2014 and 2018.
Here's a look at every game that ended in penalty kicks:
Round of 16: Croatia 1 (3), Japan 1 (1)
In a tightly-contested matchup, Croatia and Japan entered penalty kicks with one goal apiece in the first 120 minutes. Nikola Vlašić, Marcelo Brozović and Mario Pašalić scored in the shootout, but Croatia's Dominik Livaković was the star. The goalkeeper saved Japan's first, second and fourth attempts to send the Vatreni into the quarterfinals.
Round of 16: Morocco 0 (3), Spain 0 (0)
Spain was eliminated on PKs in the round of 16 in 2018, and history repeated itself in Qatar. This time it was even worse, though, as the European nation went scoreless on three shots after a 0-0 draw through 120 minutes. Yassine Bounou was the star in net for the Atlas Lions, while Abdelhamid Sabiri, Hakim Ziyech and Achraf Hakimi scored to punch Morocco's trip to the quarterfinals.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly> Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
Quarterfinals: Croatia 1 (4), Brazil 1 (2)
Another game, another shootout win for Croatia. Livaković was the savior yet again for the Vatreni, stopping the World Cup favorite Brazil on two of four attempts. Croatia nearly didn't make it to PKs in this one -- it took a goal in the 117th minute to force the shootout. But once they were there, the Croatians seized the opportunity to advance to a second straight semifinal.
Quarterfinals: Argentina 2 (4), Netherlands 2 (3)
Just hours after Croatia and Brazil's PK battle, Argentina and the Netherlands had one of their own. The Dutch forced extra time with a miracle score in the 11th minute of stoppage time before two scoreless 15-minute periods. In the shootout, Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez had two brilliant opening saves to set the tone. From there, Argentina scored on four of its five shots to seal the victory.
Final: Argentina 3 (4), France 3 (2)
For the third time in history, the World Cup final came down to penalty kicks.
Argentina and France's thrilling final culminated in a shootout. Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi scored matching goals to begin the shootout, but France missed its next two attempts. Hugo Lloris was unable to stop Argentina, giving the nation its first World Cup title since 1986.
