Has a World Cup final ever gone to penalties?

It’s the cruellest way to lose and probably the most euphoric way to win; in a World Cup final, those emotions are pushed to the absolute extremes by a penalty shootout.

With all the tension and strain inherently attached to the occasion, no footballer ever needs a penalty shootout to decide the outcome of a World Cup final. And yet, on two occasions, the titans to have taken to the stage have had to plough through an even 120 minutes before taking a long walk from the halfway line to the penalty spot for what is so often referred to as a lottery.

So, what World Cup finals have gone to penalties?

After the first 14 editions of the World Cup went without a penalty shootout determining the victors, Brazil and Italy changed that in 1994.

Without managing a single goal between them in 120 minutes of football their subsequent accuracy from the spot didn’t fare much better. Both sides missed their opening spot kicks and, after Romario, Branco, Demetrio Albertini and Alberico Evani had set the scores at 2-2 with successful efforts, Daniele Massaro missed a second for the Azzurri.

Following Dunga’s conversion, Roberto Baggio needed to convert to keep the contest alive. To the whole world’s shock, however, the iconic Italian famously blazed over the bar, handing Brazil the world crown for a fourth time.

Having featured in both World Cup final penalty shootouts, the Azzurri put their 1994 nightmares to bed when they came out on the winning side 12 years later.

After two goals inside 20 minutes of the first whistle, as Marco Materazzi equalised following Zinedine Zidane’s opener from the spot, the next 100 passed by without either net rippling.

Without Zizou, who saw red in the final stages of extra time for his infamous headbutt on Materazzi, France fell to defeat in the subsequent shootout.

Despite unprecedented general accuracy in a World Cup penalty shootout, David Trezeguet saw his effort cannon off the crossbar for Les Bleus’ second spot kick. While Sylvain Wiltord, Eric Abidal and Willy Sagnol all converted, Italy scored all five penalties to win the contest with Fabio Grosso hammering in Italy’s fifth to secure the nation’s fourth World Cup title.