How to Play Footy Penalty-Shootout
A battleships-style penalty shootout where you place your keeper zones, outsmart the CPU and win from the spot.
Quick Overview
Footy Penalty-Shootout is a tactical penalty game. You and the CPU both hide 6 “keeper zones” on the same goal grid. When you shoot, you’re trying to avoid the CPU’s zones. When the CPU shoots, your zones try to stop them.
- Place 6 yellow keeper zones on the grid before the shootout starts.
- Click any square to take a penalty – green means goal, red means saved.
- The CPU shoots back at random squares and can hit your yellow zones.
- After 5 penalties each, it’s sudden death if the scores are level.
Step 1 – Set Up Your Keeper Zones
🧤Place your 6 keeper zones
Before the shootout begins, you’ll see a goal divided into a grid of squares. Click on 6 different squares to place your yellow keeper zones. These are the areas your goalkeeper will dive to when the CPU takes a penalty.
You can move around the grid freely until you’re happy with your setup. Once all 6 zones are placed, the game is ready to start.
🤖CPU keeps its zones secret
At the same time, the CPU secretly picks its own 6 keeper zones on the same grid. You won’t see them – just like battleships – you’ll only find them when you shoot and your penalty is saved.
From this point on, both of you are trying to score where the other hasn’t placed their keepers.
Step 2 – Take Your Penalties
⚽Your turn to shoot
Once the shootout starts, click any square on the grid to take a penalty:
- Green circle – you’ve avoided a CPU keeper zone and scored.
- Red circle – you’ve hit one of the CPU’s keeper zones and your shot is saved.
Each square you shoot at is marked so you can see where you’ve already tried.
🥅CPU penalties
After your shot, the CPU immediately takes its penalty by choosing a random square:
- If it hits one of your yellow keeper zones, you save it.
- If it avoids your zones, the CPU scores and that grid square is marked in blue.
The scoreboard at the top tracks how many goals you and the CPU have scored.
Scoring, Best of 5 & Sudden Death
Footy Penalty-Shootout follows classic penalty shootout rules:
- You and the CPU each take 5 penalties, alternating turns.
- If one player becomes impossible to catch before 5 kicks are taken, they win early.
- If the scores are different after 5 each, whoever has more goals wins the shootout.
- If the scores are level after 5 each, the game goes into Sudden Death.
In Sudden Death, you both take one penalty at a time. As soon as one scores and the other fails in the same pair of kicks, the shootout is decided.
Colours, Icons & Scoreboard Legend
The grid uses clear colours so you can instantly see what’s happening during the shootout:
The scoreboard at the top shows Your goals vs CPU goals so you always know exactly where you stand in the shootout.
Resetting the Game & Strategy Tips
You can restart the shootout at any time:
- Press “Reset game” to clear the grid and remove all markers.
- You’ll be asked to place a fresh set of 6 yellow keeper zones.
- Once placed, a brand-new shootout begins from 0–0.
Tips to Improve Your Win Rate
- Spread your keepers out. Don’t cluster all 6 in one area – cover as much of the grid as you can.
- Avoid obvious shooting spots. The CPU’s zones can often sit in central or “popular” areas. Try aiming wide or high.
- Vary your penalties. Don’t keep shooting at the same row or column – mix it up to dodge hidden zones.
- Stay calm in sudden death. Choose confident, less-used squares instead of repeating a recently saved shot.