Everything you about World Cup’s ‘stutter’ penalties

Ben RumsbyFri, July 10, 2026 at 11:07 AM UTC

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Kylian Mbappe had a penalty saved against Morocco having performed a stop-start run-up - Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

It is the penalty technique that has backfired spectacularly at this World Cup, with Kylian Mbappé the latest big name to miss from the spot using a stuttering run-up.

The France forward got away with it on Thursday as France beat Morocco 2-0 to reach the semi-finals, but other players have not been so lucky.

Here, Telegraph Sport looks at the stutter-step penalty and its effect on the duel from 12 yards.

What is a stutter-step penalty and what do the Laws of the Game say?

A stutter-step penalty is one where, instead of maintaining a consistent speed and stride before kicking the ball, the taker speeds up and slows down, often taking tiny steps in the process. It effectively turns the penalty into a game of chicken, with the taker trying to lure the goalkeeper into diving one way early before stroking the ball towards the other side of the net. It is legal under the Laws of the Game, although the taker must continuously move forward and must not feint to kick the ball itself.

Neymar technique banned by Ifab

A ban on feinting to kick the ball was imposed before the 2010 World Cup after Neymar caused a storm in Brazil by scoring a penalty using this technique while playing for Santos earlier that year.

The game’s lawmakers, the International Football Association Board (Ifab), responded by instructing referees to punish takers who did the same with a yellow card.

Neymar’s technique merely enhanced his reputation as the heir to Pelé, who also employed a stuttering run-up. Indeed, a move known as a “paradinha” (little stop) is widely believed to have been spawned in Brazil in the late 1950s or early 1960s. It was briefly banned altogether before being permitted again during the 1980s.

How successful has it been at the World Cup?

Mbappé joined Lionel Messi, Harry Kane, Bruno Guimarães and Jorgen Strand Larsen in missing penalties at the tournament following a stuttering run-up.

Kane was allowed to retake his spot kick against Croatia after Dominik Livakovic came off his line early, with the England captain saying afterwards he expected the goalkeeper to do so. He scored the retake without a stutter-step.

Mbappé – who scored against Paraguay – Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Kai Havertz, Marko Arnautovic, Yoane Wissa and Raúl Jiménez have all been successful with the stutter technique. Mbappé’s penalty against Morocco was the 26th taken during the World Cup using that technique, 11 of which have been missed (57 per cent conversion rate). Meanwhile, 24 of 35 non-stutter spot kicks have been scored (68 per cent conversion rate).

Before the World Cup, the stutter-step penalty had been statistically successful. Jiménez is the master of the craft, having converted all 14 of his Premier League penalties, the best record of any regular taker in the competition’s history.

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What do the experts think?

Geir Jordet, professor at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences and author of the book Pressure: Lessons from the Psychology of the Penalty Shootout, says: “It is very sophisticated and hard to perform when the pressure is truly on. If you’re competent at executing this technique, this will effectively delete the risk factor of the goalkeeper going in the right direction and your odds suddenly going down.”

He adds: “You need to have a very high clarity in your head to be able to do that.”

World Cup goalkeepers have become wise to the move and some have been refusing to commit to diving, potentially unsettling the taker. Ian Wright, the ITV pundit, said: “This stuttering penalty seems to be the one. The goalkeepers seem to have a march on it now.”

Will England stutter if Norway quarter-final goes to penalties?

Kane may think twice about what technique to use if England win a penalty against Norway. Brazil midfielder Bruno’s stutter-step penalty against the same opponents was saved by Orjan Nyland, although Neymar did score with a similar technique.

Eberechi Eze has already pledged to take a spot kick in a shoot-out and not to change his similar approach, despite missing in the Champions League final for Arsenal. He said: “All the big players have missed big penalties, have experienced these types of moments. I’ve had messages from everyone to speak on those moments. For me it’s not something I wish never happened. I’m grateful it happened. I’m going to grow from it, learn from it and move forward.”

The World Cup’s worst stutterers so farKane vs Croatia

Kane’s stutter-step spot kick was saved by Livakovic, who dived to his left to push the ball away. But he had strayed off his line and Kane scored a retake, going the same way without a stutter, with Livakovic diving in the opposite direction.

Messi vs Austria

Messi did not even find the target with a penalty that would have made him the World Cup’s all-time top scorer, sending the ball wide of the keeper’s left post. He recovered to score twice from open play. He also had a non-stutter penalty saved against Egypt, becoming the first player to miss from the spot twice at the same World Cup.

Strand Larsen vs France

Similar to Kane and Messi, Strand Larsen went to the keeper’s left only to see Mike Maignan guess correctly.

Bruno Guimarães vs Norway

Another saved attempt to the keeper’s left.

Mbappé vs Morocco

Arguably the worst of the lot. Almost a back-pass to Bounou’s left after being made to wait an age following a VAR check.

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Source: “AOL Sports”