What are penalty shootouts?

A penalty shootout is like a special game that happens when two teams are tied and can't decide who wins by playing longer.

Imagine you're at a soccer match, and both teams have the same number of goals. The players get tired, and the crowd gets really excited because they don’t want the game to end in a tie. So, the coach says, "Let’s do a penalty shootout!"

In this special game, each player takes turns trying to score a goal from a short distance, it's like kicking the ball into a net when you're very close to it. The goalkeeper tries to stop the ball.

If one team scores more goals than the other in this quick match, they win! It’s like having a little contest where only five players get to try their best, and the team with the most points wins the whole game.

Sometimes, even after all those kicks, both teams still have the same number of goals. Then, it's like starting over, but that makes the crowd cheer even louder because they know it’s going to be super exciting!