@Plucky The 1999 Women World Cup was a nail bitter that came to the shoot-out. It was fairly even as this one. If it had went through to a second series of kicks the players the better ones, for the US would not be able to participate in them. The pressure was on. The US had to make a stop then get the go ahead goal. The fifth kick the US goalie actually broke the rule, this part of the FIFA rule governing shoot-outs; which people mistakenly call penalty kicks.
[Rule say]
Each kick is taken in the general manner of a penalty kick. Each kick is taken from the penalty mark, with the goal defended only by the opposing goalkeeper. The goalkeeper must remain between the goal-posts on his goal-line until the ball has been kicked, although he can jump in place, wave his arms, move side to side along the goal line or otherwise try to distract the shooter.
She came off the line BEFORE the Chinese player kicked it. I was waiting for the whistle because the ref was no more than 12 or so yards away but he didn’t whistle it. By coming off the line that gave the US goalie just enough reach to cut the corner of the goal off from the Chinese allowing Brandi Chastain to put in the go ahead because the Chinese goalie did as she was suppose to and stayed put until the kick was made. Had they gone to a second series the better shooters for the US would have been out of it.
[Rule say]
No player is allowed to take a second kick from the penalty mark until all other eligible players have taken a first kick, including the goalkeeper.
If they could not get it done in the first five kicks they would have had to take five more with lesser players. I think the ref was intimidated to do anything that would have caused the US to lose on home soil so the whistle was silent.
Fast forward, we have a similar situation where it comes to a shoot-out, and because they didn’t follow the earlier shoot-out legally they might have stolen the game from the Chinese; karma is finally collecting its tally.