Indirect penalty: Rik Coppens through Messi Cruyff

Indirect penalty: Rik Coppens through Messi Cruyff
Pires and Henry at the time of the penalty that blew against City (Sports world)

The penalty is, definitely, the greatest punishment that can undergo a team in a football match (after the goal obviously). The goalkeeper has all losing to a pitch such as the executor has a great advantage and rarely fails. Today we will discuss the indirect penalty that only a select few have had the courage to run successfully.

Rik Coppens' indirect penalty

Throughout history there have been very few times we could see a indirect penalty. Of course, we must focus on the 'inventor’ this curious way to run the penalty. we travel 5 June 1957. That day was held in Brussels a qualifying match for the World Cup 1958 between Belgium and Iceland. In the Belgian side, Player name Rik Coppens.

Football player, with the 9 To the back, dubiously awarded them a penalty and surprised everyone playing the ball to a teammate (we understand that would be the current intentions) who returned the wall after dribbling the goalkeeper. Fortunately, very good pictures exist of this historic move.

Definitely, the name of Rik Coppens He was forever in the history of football for this move. The Belgian striker spent his entire career in the league in his country where he wore the jersey of teams like Beerschot VAC in which he played more than 500 parties in 15 seasons and was top scorer in the league twice. Apparently, He came to reject major offers powerful clubs of the time as Inter or Milan as it was true to his lifelong club.

Johan Cruyff's indirect penalty

For many years it was thought that the true inventor of the indirect penalty It was Johan Cruyff. Dutch genius popularized this move in 1982 the shirt of Ajax. This time the opponent was modest Helmond Sport to which the whole of Amsterdam and goleaba at the time they was designated penalty.

Cruyff, imitating the play of Coppens, He played short for his companion Jesper Olsen who returned the wall to El Flaco push the ball into the net. The funniest thing about it is as the author of the goal himself explained years later that created doubts the talks with the launch: “The referee was impressed. He approached me and asked if that could be done. I told: 'Clear, why not?’ and he pointed to the center field”.

The disaster of Henry and Pires' attempt

From Cruyff they have been others who have tried boldest such release. Messi and Suarez they succeeded successfully in a Barca-Celta recently, but nevertheless, the cracks as Henry y Pires They made one of the biggest ridiculous to the wasting a penalty against Manchester City when both were part of the Arsenal Invincibles.

Luckily for the two cracks of Arsenal, his team did not need that goal to win the game and swept that season by winning the Premier League without losing a game. In any case it will be a play that will never forget.

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