What is "panenka"

n. (alternative form of Panenka English)

Panenka is a surname, and may refer to:

• Antonín Panenka (born 1948), a footballer from Czechoslovakia
  • Panenka (penalty kick), the kick named after him
• Jan Panenka (1922–1999), a Czech pianist
• Panenka (genus), a genus of fossil bivalves in the family Antipleuridae

Panenka is a genus of fossil saltwater clams, marine bivalve mollusks in the family Antipleuridae. Like most bivalves, these molluscs were suspension feeders. They lived in the Devonian Period (416,0 ± 2,8 e 359,2 ± 2,5 mya).

In association football, the Panenka is a technique used in penalty kick-taking in which the player, instead of kicking the ball toward the left or right corner of the goal, gives a subtle touch underneath the ball, causing it to rise and fall within the centre of the goal thus deceiving the goalkeeper. It was created by Czech player Antonín Panenka, who presented this technique to the world in the 1976 UEFA European Championship finals, when he beat German goalkeeper Sepp Maier and gave the title to the Czechoslovakian national team. After its sensational debut in the tournament, the Panenka kick has been used on rare occasions and mostly by highly respected players who can deal with the consequences of missing a penalty kick that way. This style of penalty kick is also called Il cucchiaio ("the spoon"), in the Italian speaking world.