Five Defenders Miss Penalties at 2026 World Cup, Highlighting a Recurring Trend

The round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup concluded overnight with another penalty shootout, as Switzerland defeated Colombia 4-3 after a 0-0 draw through 120 minutes. Switzerland will face Argentina in the next stage. Notably, Manuel Akanji, a standout defender for Switzerland, missed his penalty by shooting over the crossbar and declared after the match that he would no longer take penalties.

On the Colombian side, defender Davinson Sánchez also missed his penalty by hitting the crossbar. This match marked the fifth instance of defenders missing penalties in this tournament, all in a similar fashion. The first was Germany's Jonathan Tah, who shot over the bar in their round of 32 loss to Paraguay. Then came Australia's two defenders, John Souttar and Lucas Harrington, who missed penalties against Egypt, with Souttar shooting high and Harrington hitting the crossbar.

Despite these misses, some defenders have successfully scored penalties in this World Cup, including Hossam Abdel-Meguid and Rami Rabie for Egypt, and Gustavo Gomez and Jose Canale for Paraguay. Historically, many defenders have been proficient penalty takers, such as Ronald Koeman, Fernando Hierro, Frank de Boer, Sergio Ramos, and Shimon Gershon.

This pattern of defenders missing penalties in 2026 has drawn attention, with the players’ high shots over the goal becoming a notable trend. The article also invites readers to participate in related quizzes and contests for prizes.