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What is the longest a team has gone without being awarded a penalty? | The Knowledge
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Gary Lineker is tripped by Cameroon goalkeeper Thomas N’Kono during the 1990 World Cup quarter-final. Photograph: Patrick Hertzog/AFP/Getty Images
It’s not even a Yorkshire record. “My team Sheffield United beat it in 1991 and 1992,†says Darren White. “United were awarded a penalty on 23 March 1991 at Wimbledon and didn’t get another one until the first ever Premier League game – at home to Manchester United – on Aug 1992. That’s 50 games without a penalty. Incidentally, Brian Deane scored both.â€
Two summers earlier, the England team ended a remarkable 53-game run without being awarded a penalty – a spell that lasted four and a half years. Bryan Robson scored one in Israel on 26 February 1986, and that was it until the World Cup quarter-final against Cameroon on 1 July 1990. No wonder Gary Lineker was so nervous: it was his first penalty for England in his 56th game. He equalised with seven minutes remaining, and then scored another penalty to win the match in extra-time. Insert your own London buses joke here.
Chris Rawson writes in to say that Burnley are currently on a run of 47 games without a penalty, while Sean DeLoughry has an even better example. “Galway United,†writes Sean, “can push the record up to an impressive 72 games.â€