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Losing a World Cup penalty shootout is one of the most agonising ways to be eliminated from the tournament. Yet, a few nations have managed to avoid that heartbreak entirely.

Penalty shootouts can expose nerves and test composure under immense pressure — but some players and teams seem to thrive in such moments.

Excluding West Germany — who won three World Cup shootouts before the country’s reunification — here are the 10 nations that have participated in at least one World Cup penalty shootout without ever losing.

Leading this list is Croatia, courtesy of their two penalty shootout victories each at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. These consistent performances made them strong contenders in both tournaments.

In 2018, Croatia defeated Denmark 3-2 in the round of 16, followed by a 4-3 shootout win over hosts Russia in the quarter-finals.

Runners-up in 2018 with Danijel Subasic guarding the goal, Croatia reached the semi-finals again in 2022, this time with Dominik Livakovic in net. They triumphed on penalties against Japan and Brazil at the same stages as in the previous tournament.

Livakovic was outstanding in the 2022 round of 16, saving all three of Japan’s spot-kicks.

Luka Modric netted his penalties in three of Croatia’s four shootouts, the only exception being the clash with Japan, as he was substituted during extra time.

Paraguay, who recently stunned Germany by ending their flawless penalty record in the round of 32, have now claimed their second World Cup shootout success.

Their first came in the 2010 round of 16 against Japan, where all five Paraguayan players converted their penalties.

Their encounter with Germany was tenser — the first three penalties were successful, but the next two misses led to sudden death.

After Jonathan Tah failed to score, Jose Canale calmly converted his attempt to send Paraguay through to the last 16.

Goalkeeper Orlando Gill was the hero, saving penalties from Premier League duo Kai Havertz and Nick Woltemade.

Morocco join Croatia and Paraguay as the only nations to have won multiple World Cup shootouts without a single defeat, achieving this feat on the same night as Paraguay’s win.

The Atlas Lions knocked out the Netherlands 3-2 on penalties, with Ismael Saibari scoring the decisive goal.

Saibari had also found the net in Morocco’s earlier shootout victory — a 3-0 triumph over Spain in the 2022 round of 16, where Yassine Bounou saved two spot-kicks.

Belgium’s memorable moment came in the 1986 quarter-finals, when they edged Spain 5-4 on penalties, becoming the first team ever to score a perfect five out of five in a World Cup shootout.

Bulgaria, one of the surprise packages of the 1994 tournament, advanced to the semi-finals after a 3-1 shootout win over Mexico in the round of 16 — all without calling upon star striker Hristo Stoichkov to take a penalty.

Sweden, the other unexpected semi-finalists in 1994, overcame Romania 5-4 on penalties after sudden death, even though they had missed their first attempt.

South Korea’s penalty takers proved unstoppable in their 2002 quarter-final against Spain, beating Iker Casillas’s side 5-3 with a flawless display from the spot.

Ukraine’s 2006 round of 16 tie with Switzerland began poorly when Andriy Shevchenko missed the opening penalty, but the team quickly recovered. Switzerland failed to score any of their penalties, while Ukraine converted all their remaining attempts to win 3-0.

Portugal’s sole World Cup shootout win came in the 2006 quarter-finals — a match England fans will never forget. Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher all missed their penalties, ending the ‘Golden Generation’s’ hopes, while a 21-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo struck the decisive goal.

Ghana’s heartbreak in 2010 still resonates. They would never have faced a shootout against Uruguay in the quarter-finals if not for Luis Suarez’s infamous handball on the line, followed by Asamoah Gyan’s missed penalty in added time.

Fate dealt a cruel blow when Ghana eventually lost the shootout 4-3. Diego Forlan put Uruguay ahead, and Sebastian Abreu sealed the victory with a calm finish.