Gather ‘Round for a Penalty Shootout: The 12-Minute Match

– Where are you going, Anderson Nascimento?
– To the stadium, Mr. Júlio.
– What are you talking about, boy? During your lunch break? You won’t make it in time!
– Don’t worry, boss. I won’t be long.

The exchange above is fictional, but it could very well have happened in October 1988. To understand why, we need to rewind two years, back to the pitches of Mexico. Brazil, led by Sócrates, Zico, and Careca, looked sharp. The 32-year-old Sócrates scored the only goal against Spain. Careca netted the winner versus Algeria, and an easy 3–0 over Northern Ireland sealed a perfect 3-for-3 group stage. The Seleção marched on confidently to the Round of 16, where they dismantled Poland 4–0 to book their place in the quarterfinals.

But this time, the opponent was no pushover. The match would go down in World Cup history for its tension, drama, and endless chances — and as the swan song of a brilliant Brazilian side that played beautiful football but ultimately fell short.

At Guadalajara’s Estadio Jalisco, some 65,000 fans — many of them Brazilian — witnessed a footballing thriller. Both sides had their moments; these were two national teams that lived to play the beautiful game. Brazil struck first, Careca finishing off a fine move under the midday sun. The French, though, equalized through Michel Platini, sending the teams into halftime level at 1–1.

In the second half, things didn’t change much. Both teams created several chances, but most of them went wide. When they didn’t, the goalkeepers or the woodwork stepped in, with the post saving France at one point. Brazil’s golden opportunity came when substitute Zico won a penalty after being brought down by keeper Joël Bats. But his spot kick was poor — Bats guessed right, made the save, and kept France alive. The pattern of missed chances continued into extra time: shots off target, saves, frustration. Nothing could separate them. The game was destined for penalties.

That’s where history was written — with two giants missing. Sócrates missed Brazil’s first attempt. The French had a stroke of absurd luck with their third, when the ball struck the post, bounced off the keeper’s back, and somehow went in. But fortune turned when Michel Platini sent his own shot sailing into the stands. It all came down to the fifth and final kick, with everything level. Up stepped the classy defender Júlio César — who would later enjoy fine spells at Juventus and Dortmund (and a brief, forgettable one at Panathinaikos). He struck it cleanly, but the upright denied him. Luis Fernández then converted for France, sending Les Bleus into the semifinals.

At that point, two stereotypes about Brazilians came to life. First: they don’t handle failure particularly well — something we already suspected since the Maracanazo. This time, the missed penalties (one in regular time, two in the shootout) plunged the nation into collective soul-searching.

Second: Brazilians aren’t exactly famous for bureaucratic efficiency or structured planning. And so, it took the Brazilian Football Federation just two years to come up with its “solution” to this cursed penalty problem. The fix? Practice — a lot of practice. Endless penalty shootouts. No more draws. Every tied game would go to penalties: two points to the winner, one to the loser.

One small detail: the leagues were already underway when the rule was passed. Matches were literally in progress. And when we say “in progress,” it gets even better. The decision was made during a matchday. No mobile phones, a vast country — chaos. So, a poor federation employee grabbed his suitcase and set off from Rio on a 1,200-kilometer journey to Salvador. He arrived at the stadium… at halftime. Rushing to find the referee of Vitória–América, Mr. José Araújo de Oliveira Filho, he delivered the new directive. Calmly, the referee informed both teams — and since the game finished in a draw, the rule was applied immediately.

The next day, however, brought a much more high-profile match. Botafogo vs. Fluminense — under the same new rule, with referee José de Assis Aragão in charge. Mr. Aragão, though better informed than his colleague the day before, was about to face real trouble. The game ended 1–1, and when he told the teams they had to take penalties, the reaction was… less than cooperative. In fact, it was closer to, “Yeah right, you and your damn rule can get lost.”

Aragão tried to keep order, “Wait! Please wait!”, but it was no use. The two captains walked to the center circle and calmly informed him that neither team would be taking penalties. Both sides left the pitch, and the referee closed the match report detailing exactly what had happened. But the Federation wasn’t about to back down. Brazil, they decided, had failed from the spot — and Brazil must learn. The Federation would not tolerate rebellion. The match was rescheduled for October 5th, 1988. In fact, they announced it would be held at the Maracanã, with free admission. And so, our fictional hero, Anderson Nascimento, managed to slip out during his break, head to the stadium, watch the penalty shootout (which lasted a full twelve minutes), and make it back to work in time.

For the record, Fluminense won 5–4, missing one penalty, while Botafogo missed two. “What were they even practicing all month?” the skeptics asked. But we’d remind them: six years later, Brazil did win the World Cup on penalties. What do the doubters say now? That “penalty-training era” aura seemed to linger, too — with Brazil triumphing again on penalties over the Netherlands in 1998 and Chile in 2014. It finally took a meeting with Croatia at the 2022 World Cup to end their remarkable World Cup shootout streak.