VOLGOGRAD, Russia -- Salman Al-Faraj's penalty for Saudi Arabia in their Group A match against Egypt on Monday was the 18th of the World Cup, matching the all-time record set at the 2002 tournament hosted by Japan and South Korea.
In Brazil four years ago, there were only 13 penalties in the entire tournament.
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The use of the video assistant referee (VAR) system has contributed hugely to the spike, and it was employed again to set up Al-Faraj for his spot kick.
Al-Faraj's penalty was the second awarded in the match.
Saudi Arabia's Fahad Al-Muwallad was given a penalty after a foul in the box in the 39th minute, but his effort was saved by the keeper.