Özil placed the ball on the spot. Özil, who had scored fourteen penalties in his career and missed two. Özil, whose technique from twelve yards was as reliable as his technique from open play, which was the highest compliment available.
Pope stood on his line.
I want to tell you what happened next because the footage exists and has been watched eleven million times and will be discussed in goalkeeping coaching manuals for the next twenty years.
Özil ran up. He struck the ball to Pope's right. Low. Hard. Precise. The kind of penalty that goalkeepers save in training and concede in matches because the pressure converts technique into trembling.
