1970 Watney Cup Hosts First Official Penalty Shootout
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- International Football Association Board (IFAB) adopted the five‑kick penalty shootout format (with sudden‑death if still level) at its 27 June 1970 AGM, replacing coin tosses and drawing lots.
- Watney Cup match on 5 August 1970 at Boothferry Park in Hull hosted the first official penalty shootout in a professional game, pitting Hull City against Manchester United.
- George Best became the first player ever to score in a shootout, converting his kick for Manchester United.
- Denis Law was the first player to miss, his low shot saved by Hull goalkeeper Ian McKechnie.
- Ian McKechnie recorded the first goalkeeper save in a shootout, later became the first keeper to take a penalty, and the first keeper to miss one.
- Yosef Dagan and Michael Almog (future Israel FA chief) proposed the penalty shootout to FIFA in 1969 after a 1968 Olympic quarter‑final decided by drawing lots, calling the old method “immoral and even cruel”.
- 1976 European Championship was the first major international title decided by penalties, famously decided by Antonin Panenka’s chipped winning kick.
Why it matters: Teams and fans gained a skill‑based tie‑breaker, ending the previously “immoral and cruel” reliance on coin tosses and drawing lots, while the new format reshaped tournament outcomes, becoming the decisive method for World Cup finals and European championships and influencing the careers of players and managers.
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