Clint Dempsey almost added another game-winning goal to his Fulham highlight reel. Almost.
After drawing a stoppage-time penalty on Chelsea's new centerback David Luiz, Dempsey stepped to the spot and had his shot saved by Petr Cech, which preserved a 0-0 draw.
Dempsey had a chance to score off the rebound, after getting himself into position to attempt a bicycle kick, but his shot went well high and wide of the target.
Video of the penalty sequence is after the jump:
What did you think of the penalty? Do you think it should have been retaken? Do you think another Fulham player should have taken the spot kick? Surprised Dempsey missed?
Share your thoughts below.
Not if you are good at your job. Only idiots take a single play from a player’s career or season in any sport and assume Player X is a “gamer” while Player Y is a “choker”. Look at the millions the Raiders wasted on that CB who came up with a pick in a Super Bowl. Instead of recognizing he was still a journeyman who happened to be in the right place at the right time, their braintrust decided he was a “big game player”, then were disappointed to discover their big FA addition was the same mediocre player he had been over his entire career prior to the Super Bowl INT.
Dempsey’s previous nine goals do not suddenly count less, nor does his play that drew the kick in the first place. Ninety percent of the people smart enough to be put in charge of a top flight club understand this. The other 10% are the English Al Davis.
I don’t think you’re a troll. I think you’re someone who doesn’t know his rear end from a hole in the ground on this topic, but is either too proud or too ignorant to recognize the multiple posts from multiple people highlighting this fact.
Nice comment, but let’s stop feeding the troll.
Ouch! It is usually a good idea to have someone other then the penalty recipient take the kick.
cost them points? did you watch the game or just read the headline? he was 1 v 4+a goalie and somehow earned a penalty against the guy both announcers couldn’t stop creaming over as the man of the match and worth every penny of the 20 million euros spent on him. Just another notch in deuce’s belt to even create that chance for himself.
Dempsey is overrated.
Not the best PK I’ve ever seen, but it was on frame, and Cech guessed correctly. If he misses wide or high, blame the kicker, but not here. And yes, the PK should’ve been retaken. It’s in FIFA’s laws of the game that if a player encroaches on the penalty area before the kick is taken, and his team gets the result they want on the kick, the kick is retaken. Chelsea saved the kick but had at least one player in the box before Dempsey touched the ball, ergo it should have been retaken.
What a choke by Dempsey. Cech is one of the best keepers of all time, and you go with that weak shot down low? I think it is very bad for Dempsey’s confidence going forward. Penalty shot, with the game on the line against a storied franchise, and you come up small…
Tough break, but even the best of the best miss penalties once in a while. It wasn’t the best shot, and the keeper guessed right. He put himself in position to get the penalty and someone else should have taken it. And it totally should have been retaken because Drogba was running side by side with him and the ref was staring directly at Drogba while he did it. Calls always go to Chelsea and Man U when they are not winning.
I agree with you in essence but the great players pull it together even when they’re tired.
Still have a lot of faith in Clint and happy for the great season he’s been having.
Lot of overreaction on here. Every player, great good and poor, misses PKs at times. This was also in the 93rd minute.
And those of you thinking if you are thinking of spending millions on him, that this would impact your decision, that’s just delusional and uneducated. Unless, of course, you’re also looking for him to take your PKs. But my guess is that if he were transferred to a bigger club there would be someone else taking them. Give me a break. Landon missed in the MLS Cup Finals! Roberto Baggio in the WC final. Someone will miss a PK this week. It happens.
Unfortunate that he missed, but that’s all. He’s still a very good player.
Indeed. It wasn’t even on target, was it? He almost missed wide against Ghana last summer as well, went in off the post.
What happens when a pro soccer player fails to deliver in a crucial match?, the fans, the press, everyone gets very dissapointed and he gets frustrated, this was a major step for Demps,but he’ll bounce back no doubt about it
It wasn’t a horrible penalty. When you go against one of the world’s best keepers, it has to be better. Or, you need to make sure to send the keeper the wrong way.
I’m of the school of thought that the person who wins the penalty should not take it. There is too much adrenaline/emotion going on for that player. You need someone else to step in and calmly do the job.
I checked mgp’s math on my TI-89 and got the same thing.
Also, nba players travel often.
Nah, i’m just messing with ya.
People were on about this “rule” yesterday as well. I’ve heard of it, but usually only _after_ the guy who was fouled takes it and misses.
I think the far more universal rule is that team’s have a designated player who takes all penalties, regardless of who draws them.
Most teams even have a designated “vice” penalty player, in case the first choice guy has been subbed.
Who is this fool? And why is he plaguing the SBI boards? Hey Aristotle, if you have to say that other people think you are funny and other people think your some brilliant soccer tactician, you are likely neither. Also, as someone mentioned before, you can’t even do simple subtraction. As for the rest of you bizarre, incoherent ramblings, take them somewhere else.
Um, not necessarily. When he made his last penalty (against Stoke was it?), most people still agreed that it wasn’t well taken, even though it went in. Yes, Dempsey’s miss is understandable given he was driving the offense and was fatigued, but not necessarily excusable as a “good PK”
Clint Dempsey’s scoring rate for Fulham is approximately the same as Steven Gerrard’s is for Liverpool. Let’s not forget that he’s primarily a midfielder, and so with a little bit of this context you’ve been raving about, you’d surely understand that he’s got a hell of a strike rate. Also, I understand that you’ve only just started watching Fulham this year, but Clint’s been a regular starter for about three years.
Asamoah gyan. £13M move to sunderland. I recall hearing that he missed a penalty in some kind of football tournament recently.
Must not have been a high profile one though.
Because big players don’t miss penalties, eh?
Not meaning to split hairs here and I know it’s a rule thats rarely enforced, but Drogba was a good 5 yards inside the box when the PK was taken, Demps should’ve had a re kick.
Yep same kick – not good – too tired to give the hesitation fake or sell the opposite corner well.
A heck of a lot of people are not penalty takers here. To be one, your shot has to be good enough to beat the keeper when he guesses correctly. Dempsey’s shot was of the “if he guesses right, oh well” variety.
So instead they got 1 point…therefore costing them 2 points.
There is really only one way to look at it.
youtube alessandro del piero peace cup penalty
makes clint’s seem like a screamer
unlucky for dempsey, but it happens. you’re not going to produce the best all the time.
Get those pebbles out of your mouth. We can’t hear what you’re saying.
+1
that never gets old lol
This is what a bi-polar person sounds like going through a manic phase. Dude, get some help.
Thank you.
Is Aristotle secretly Barca Fan who is secretly now Fire Fan?
+1
Matt Le Tissier only missed one.
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I’m sorry. For the person who says that Dempsey cost himself a chance because he missed a penalty. That’s beyond illogical. Since the far harder thing is to draw a penalty. If you are a team looking for a transfer, you look for the goal scorer who can draw penalties in the 90th minute, if he happens to miss a penalty from time to time, so be it. There isn’t a soccer player alive who hasn’t missed a penalty.
I’m guessing it’s a reference to Drogba. Champions League Final vs. Barcelona.
Didier Drogba: “He’s [the ref] a disgrace. He’s a f*@king disgrace”
Or if you ever read the “Random Musings of Footballers Before They Fall Asleep” posts by Brook Pecks at “Dirty Tackle”, you’d be familiar with Drogba’s “F*&king Disgraces”
Really man? I was making a correction to my post, and not typing a whole paragraph response to myself like you did.
Slaters gonna slate
You just spent 4 hours arguing with people you don’t know. I studied philosophy in college and don’t remember Aristotle being anywhere near this annoying.
-1
Reading the comments on Fulham’s website not too long ago, I was surprised how overrated they thought Dempsey was. They didn’t seem like the kind of fans who would let this pass without being impacted by it. I didn’t say it was fair.
If a manager interested in Dempsey was undecided between Dempsey and a more established player in choosing a player as a transfer target he could well be swayed by this event. Again, I didn’t say it was fair, but to suggest it’s absurd is a bit of a stretch.