Every top team analyses the opposition thoroughly, Commens says, so the information itself is no edge. In Tokyo both staffs held years of shootout footage on each other’s keepers, yet gold came down to Vincent Vanasch executing under extreme pressure, twice, after a video referral forced Belgium to win the moment again. Preparation is assumed at that level; delivering the skill in the decisive seconds is what separates teams. Watch the full masterclass: Common themes of top teams.
