The teams of Chelsea U23 and Oxford United met in a match of the English Football League Trophy. But what is more special about this third match of the group stage of the tournament? The game finished with a 1-1 draw in the regular time. The 19-year-old Chelsea talent Josimar Quintero opened the score just a minute before the end of the first half. The forward Kane Hemmings equalized the score in the 4th minute of the added time. This lead to the penalty shootout, which had to decide the winner in the match.
Nothing unusual so far… However, the fans became the spectators of the new record for the most penalties in a penalty shootout in England – 34! It’s interesting that some of the players took 2 penalties, just because everybody had taken a penalty.
Eventually, Chelsea won 13-12, but the youth team of the Blues finished in the last 4th place in the group. Oxford United managed to proceed to the next stage of the competition, finishing 2nd in the group. The midfielder John Lundstram of Oxford United missed twice from the spot, but the decisive penalty was missed by Wes Thomas, who also missed his second of the game. The big hero in the game was Chelsea’s goalkeeper – Bradley Collins, who made 4 saves to help his team win the match!
The last record was held by Derby County and Carlisle United, which met in August and took 32 penalties in total, which was equal to the match between Scunthorpe vs. Worchester in the FA Cup in 2014.
In conclusion, The English Football League Trophy is the newest version of the previous Johnstone’s Paint Trophy, in which only the clubs from lower divisions used to take part. However, now the bigger clubs are allowed to play with their U23 squads. That’s very useful for the young players, because they can make a smooth transition into the men’s football, which is the most difficult thing for the footballers.