A brief history of (extra) time: is the format right for the modern game?

If you watched England play Italy in the Euro 2012 quarter-finals and remained conscious throughout, then give yourself a pat on the back. You should also, however, consider using your insomnia to fight crime, instead of sitting on a sofa watching 120 minutes of goalless tedium between two teams intent on settling their differences from the penalty spot.

That evening, Roy Hodgson’s men managed no shots and 176 fewer passes than their opponents in the 30 minutes added on. At least Mario Balotelli produced the odd satellite-bothering effort, and Andrea Pirlo a delicious Panenka penalty in the shootout.

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Andrew Murray is a freelance journalist, who regularly contributes to both the FourFourTwo magazine and website. Formerly a senior staff writer at FFT and a fluent Spanish speaker, he has interviewed major names such as Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Sergio Aguero and Xavi. He was also named PPA New Consumer Journalist of the Year 2015.