Yes—A Penalty Counts as a Shot on Goal If It Is Scored or Saved on Target
A penalty counts as a shot on goal when it is scored or saved on target. Misses and shootout kicks do not. See how rebounds and provider rules affect totals.
Yes. A penalty taken during the match counts as a shot on goal—usually called a shot on target—if it is scored or if a goal-bound attempt is saved. A penalty sent wide, over the crossbar or against the post without going in does not count as a shot on target.
The important distinction is between a penalty being awarded and the kick actually being taken. The award alone is not a shot.
| Penalty outcome | Total shots | Shots on target |
|---|---|---|
| Scored | +1 | +1 |
| Goal-bound and saved by the goalkeeper | +1 | +1 |
| Cleared off the line by the last-line defender | +1 | +1 |
| Wide or over | +1 | 0 |
| Hits the post or crossbar and stays out | +1 | 0 |
| Awarded but not taken | 0 | 0 |
| Taken in a penalty shootout | 0 in normal match totals | 0 in normal match totals |
Why the result of the kick matters
A shot on target is an attempt that scores or would enter the goal without a defensive intervention. Sky Bet’s published guide to Opta definitions includes goals, goalkeeper saves and attempts stopped by a last-line defender. It classifies a shot that hits the frame and stays out as off target. A goalkeeper’s stop can also be classified as off target if the attempt was already going wide or over—an unusual but useful reminder that “the keeper touched it” does not automatically mean “shot on target” (Sky Bet’s Opta definitions).
So a goal-bound saved penalty normally adds one to both columns:
- Total shots: from 8 to 9
- Shots on target: from 3 to 4
A penalty blasted over still raises total shots from 8 to 9, but shots on target remain at 3.
That also affects shooting accuracy, whose usual denominator is total shots. In this example, the saved penalty changes the rate from 3/8 (37.5%) to 4/9 (44.4%), while an off-target penalty changes it to 3/9 (33.3%). One penalty can therefore move a team’s apparent shooting performance sharply, even though it says little about the quality of its open-play attack.
A rebound is a separate shot
During ordinary match play, the ball can remain live after a penalty rebounds from the goalkeeper or goal frame. IFAB Law 14 says the kicker cannot play it again until another player has touched it (IFAB Law 14).
If the goalkeeper saves a penalty and an attacker scores from the rebound, the sequence normally produces two attempts:
- the penalty: one shot on target;
- the rebound: a separate shot on target and goal.
That is why one penalty incident can add two shots. Penalties are one type of soccer set piece, but the rebound is a new attempt rather than part of the original shot.
Shootout penalties do not enter normal shot totals
Kicks in a penalty shootout are different. IFAB states that a shootout takes place after the match has ended (IFAB Law 10). Shootout kicks are therefore recorded separately and do not increase the match’s conventional shots or shots-on-target figures.
The 2022 World Cup final shows the distinction. FIFA records Argentina and France drawing 3–3, with Argentina winning the shootout 4–2. Its match statistics list Argentina with 21 attempts and nine on target, France with 10 attempts and five on target, and the shootout result separately. The same page records the three penalties scored during match play—one by Lionel Messi and two by Kylian Mbappé—apart from the later shootout (FIFA’s official match centre).
A penalty in extra time is treated like one in regulation when the displayed statistics include extra time. The shootout begins only after play has ended.
Check the provider before comparing numbers
“Shots” does not always mean the same thing in every table. The Premier League says its official performance data is collected and analysed by Opta and checked after matches (Premier League statistics clarification). Other products may deliberately publish non-penalty measures.
For example, Hudl StatsBomb’s player glossary defines its displayed Shots metric as non-penalty shots and calculates Shooting % without penalties. Its goalkeeper Shots Faced metric, however, includes penalties conceded and saved (Hudl StatsBomb glossary).
The practical answer is:
- Standard match count: a scored or genuinely on-target saved penalty is a shot on target.
- Analytical table labeled “non-penalty”: it is excluded by design.
- Penalty shootout: it is kept outside normal match shot totals.
When two sites disagree, look for labels such as non-penalty shots, 90 minutes only or including extra time before assuming either number is wrong.