People want football to adopt hockey penalty shootouts after thrilling Team GB gold

No two ways about it: hockey penalty shootouts are better than their football equivalent.

Do you want to see someone get one shot at goal, or as many as they can muster before time runs out? Do you want them to have one touch, or as many touches in the run-up as they need. That's what we thought. If you still need more convincing, you clearly weren't watching Team GB's women's hockey team win their first ever Olympic gold medal. Great Britain came from 2-1 and 3-2 down to force penalties against The Netherlands, who had won gold in London in 2012 and in Beijing in 2008. And that's when it was the goalkeepers' time to shine - step forward Maddie Hinch, who stopped the Dutch team from converting a single one. https://twitter.com/_GBHockey/status/766755884391362560 Now, back to those penalties. They won't be anything special to anyone who has played or watched hockey in the past. Or, indeed, anyone who followed Major League Soccer in its early days, though their version was slightly different. Unlike those boring shootouts you see in outdated tournaments like the football World Cup or European Championships, players get a ball, a run-up, and a countdown. As long as the ball doesn't leave the penalty area, they're allowed more than one try, as Germany's Janne Muller-Wieland showed in some style in the semi-final. https://twitter.com/evo_hockey/status/765957210224615424 It's a battle of wits and a battle of skill, and Team GB came out on top by two goals to nil after drawing in regular time. And there's certainly been plenty of noise when it comes to borrowing this element of hockey for other sports. https://twitter.com/Billie_T/status/766751865988153344 https://twitter.com/iggigg/status/766752594916155393 https://twitter.com/theredrocket/status/766755041499877377 https://twitter.com/Dani8l45/status/766753319029239813 Go on Fifa, Uefa and the FA. You heard the people. Read more