Top five players who have missed decisive penalties in FIFA World Cup 2022

Spot kicks have played a major role in the Qatar tournament

Scoring penalties in a hostile atmosphere, when the pressure is overwhelming to you but the ice running through your veins assures you that you're capable of it, has to be the best sensation in football. Only a few players prosper in adversity and avoid mind games with opponents or goalkeepers in order to score a vital penalty for the team.

We have witnessed numerous such occasions in this World Cup, and players who stepped up to take the penalty will be remembered. While others who came under pressure and missed it will be pondering about that predicament. Here we have listed the top five players who have missed most important penalties that could have changed the course of the match.

Robert Lewandowski

Lewandowski's penalty save came against Mexico, when one of the top goalkeepers in the world, Ochoa Mexican, foresaw his shot and parried away Lewandowski's penalty, he has been named the best penalty taker in football. Although the match concluded in a draw and Poland subsequently went to the knockout stage, if Poland had won that match, they would have topped the group and avoided a powerful team in the last 16. It all came down to the final game when Poland qualified on goal difference and faced France, who eliminated them from the competition.

Also Read: Top 10 players who have missed most penalties in 21st century

Marquinhos

The PSG defender will remember that day unpleasantly since his ricochet contributed to Croatia's equalizer and he also missed a significant penalty that might have kept Brazil in the contest. With Brazil trailing 4-2 on penalties, Marquinhos stepped up to take the fourth penalty, and if he had converted, it would have kept them in the game, but the player's shot struck the bottom right corner bar, ending Brazil's quest for a fifth World Cup in agony.

Andre Ayew

Ghana appeared to be more concerned with avenging themselves than with winning the game. But it all started well for Ghana when they were handed a penalty and Andre Ayew, who was involved in the 2010 World Cup when Suarez destroyed their ambition by saving a shot with his hands and was given a red card and Uruguay triumphed on penalties.

Ayew appeared to be hungover from that encounter, as his penalty was saved by goalkeeper Rochet. Uruguay took advantage of the reprieve by scoring two goals, but neither of them qualified as South Korea's goal in the final minute ensuring they progressed to the round of 16. If Ayew had converted his penalty, the game would have been completely different.

Sergio Busquets

Instead of taking the penalty first, he went third and blew his chances to maintain Spain in the game. Morocco led by two penalties, and Busquets had an opportunity to improve his country's morale. But his lack of power in penalty led to Bounou predicting his penalty correctly and denied Spain a ticket to be in the shootout, as his stop knocked Spain out of the World Cup.

Harry Kane

This was Kane's most determining penalty miss, and it will haunt the Three Lions captain for months to come since his penalty would have held England in contention. France led 2-1, and Mason Mount, the Chelsea midfielder, was pushed into the box shortly after his introduction. Although the referee turned the judgment away. VAR asked him to review again, and it was a well-deserved penalty as referee Wilton Pereira gestured toward the box.

With the 82nd minute on the clock, England were one penalty away from tying the game. Kane, who had scored the previous penalty, took the courage and looked comfortable. But it appeared Kane has capitulated under compression and skied his penalty, culminating in elation from France's fans and players overall, as England were unable to summon up an equalizer and were eliminated from the tournament.