Counter-attacks reach the edge of the penalty area far more often than they produce shots. The phase where they fail is consistent, and so are the reasons.
The advantage is numerical and it expires
A counter begins with attackers outnumbering defenders, but recovering opponents run towards their own goal while the attack travels the same distance.
Each additional touch allows one more defender to arrive, and a three-against-two becomes a three-against-four in the time it takes to consider a shot.
Attacks that pause on the edge of the box are therefore not being careful; they are spending the only advantage they had.
Speed makes the final pass harder
A player sprinting at full pace has less control over weight of pass and less time to observe the positions of teammates around him.
The pass that a stationary player would slide through comfortably becomes overhit or behind the runner, and the sequence ends on a goal kick.
Teams that counter well rehearse the final action at match speed rather than practising it in isolation, because the technique is the easy part.
Support arrives at the wrong angle
Players following the ball carrier often run directly behind him, where they are shielded from the ball by the defenders in front.
Useful support runs diverge, one going beyond the carrier into the space behind the defence and another holding a position outside the box for a cutback or a second ball.
Without those angles the carrier has only one option, which is exactly what a retreating defender is trying to arrange.
Defenders delay rather than tackle
A recovering defender facing a fast break is not trying to win the ball. He is trying to slow the carrier, force him wide, and buy time for teammates.
Attackers who accept the invitation to go outside or who slow down to beat a man are cooperating with that plan.
The counter to it is to play the pass before the delaying defender is close enough to influence the direction, which usually means releasing earlier than feels natural.
Shot selection is the last failure point
A counter that reaches the box with numbers frequently ends with a shot from a poor angle because the carrier prefers a low-percentage attempt to a pass.
Coaches address this by defining the intended finish in advance, most often a ball across the six-yard area or a cutback to the penalty spot.
Having a rehearsed destination removes the decision at the moment when the player is least equipped to make one.