Goalkeepers at a disadvantage in penalty kicks due to incomplete information.
The penalty-kick game between a soccer goalkeeper and kicker was studied with uncertainty about the kicker's type. Using Bayesian equilibrium, it was found that one type of kicker plays a mixed strategy while the other plays a pure strategy. Incomplete-information equilibria showed higher scoring probabilities than complete-information equilibria, making goalkeepers worse off. A three-strategy model explained why goalkeepers may avoid the center of the goal, even though some kickers choose to shoot there.