Vitinha and a warning against the 'ridiculous' trend of running up on the 11m mark

Vitinha in the European Super Cup against Tottenham Hotspurs.

Vitinha and Mathys Tel, two talented players from PSG and Tottenham, together left their mark with lengthy runs, ending in poor shots wide of the goal. Both took more than nine seconds to reach the ball – enough time for Usain Bolt to run 100m… and with a few tenths of a second to spare.

Vitinha even approached the record for the fastest goal in the Champions League (10.12 seconds by Roy Makaay), except he shot wide instead of into the net. Tel was no better, missing the chance to level the score for Spurs after Micky van de Ven missed.

The trend of “fidgeting” at the 11m mark is not new, but situations like the one in Italy in the early morning of August 14 are turning it into a farce. Gaizka Mendieta or Lauren once mastered the art of running up and observing the goalkeeper, but that requires nerves of steel and perfect technique - something not everyone has. When lacking precision, these “psychological warfare” phases can easily become disasters.

Vitinha, the brains of PSG’s midfield, kept his eyes fixed on Guglielmo Vicario. But with a “no-look” shot, just one wrong contact sent the ball wide of the goal. Tel tried to fool Lucas Chevalier, and when the goalkeeper dived to the left, he… sent the ball wide.

“It’s unbelievable. He knew the goalkeeper was down. I don’t know how clever they are,” former striker Ally McCoist commented on TNT Sports.

Mathys Tel missed in the penalty shootout.

A few days earlier, Eberechi Eze had also tried to “tease” Alisson Becker in the Community Shield and had to pay the price. On the contrary, the successful examples were simple to the point of being… classic: Rodrigo Bentancur rushed straight and shot hard into the top corner; Gonçalo Ramos smashed the ball straight into the middle of the goal; Chloe Kelly in the Euro 2025 final finished powerfully, focusing on the ball rather than the goalkeeper.

The message here is clear: on penalties, efficiency always beats trickery. Players can be creative, but they should not turn the decisive kick into a poor performance. Otherwise, all that will remain is laughter… and a bitter result.

Source: https://znews.vn/vitinha-va-loi-canh-tinh-cho-mot-chay-da-lo-bich-tren-cham-11-m-post1576829.html