England’s Penalty Misers
IT seems England and penalties do not go well together.
As a national team, England have won just one penalty shootout since 1966 in major tournaments and many of our club sides have a habit of losing penalty shoot-outs when the game is on the line.
John Terry became the latest in a long line of English players to miss penalties on important occasions as Manchester United won the Champions League. Whilst Italy lost the 1994 World Cup Final on penalties they claimed it in 2006 on spot kicks but still the curse of the English luck seems to run through our game when it comes to slotting the ball home from twelve yards.
Week after week in the Premiership goalkeepers are beaten by cooly slotted, powerfully drilled and accurately placed kicks but it seems when the pressure is on, it tends to get to English players.
Here are some of the ‘finest’ examples of the unlucky English penalty taker:
As a national team, England have won just one penalty shootout since 1966 in major tournaments and many of our club sides have a habit of losing penalty shoot-outs when the game is on the line.
John Terry became the latest in a long line of English players to miss penalties on important occasions as Manchester United won the Champions League. Whilst Italy lost the 1994 World Cup Final on penalties they claimed it in 2006 on spot kicks but still the curse of the English luck seems to run through our game when it comes to slotting the ball home from twelve yards.
Week after week in the Premiership goalkeepers are beaten by cooly slotted, powerfully drilled and accurately placed kicks but it seems when the pressure is on, it tends to get to English players.
Here are some of the ‘finest’ examples of the unlucky English penalty taker:
Chris Waddle – England’s left footed creative midfielder had been one of the main reasons his country had achieved so much in Italia ’90. His strongest foot had helped England to the brink of semi-final victory against Germany but when it came down to taking a penalty in the shoot-out the Sheffield Wednesday player blasted high over the bar with a poorly aimed spot kick.
Stuart Pearce – The final player to step up in the 1990 shoot-out, iron willed defender Stuart Pearce was trusted with the role of keeping England in the game and putting Germany’s fate in their own hands. Unfortunately for the defender although his strike was clean the German keeper was able to get a hand to it and send his side through to the final. Not to be deterred by his penalty taking nightmare, Pearce returned six years later in a penalty shoot-out against Spain scoring a crucial penalty to put England into another semi-final against Germany. Pearce was again called up to take a spot kick that night and used all his experience to go another step toward destroying the nightmare of Italia 90.
Gareth Southgate – The Aston Villa defender was the unfortunate man who followed on from Pearce and Waddle in the Euro ’96 shoot-out by missing the crucial penalty against Germany. Having been part of the team which was so heroic throughout the tournament he stepped up 6th against Bodo Ilgner at Wembley but aimed a weak kick to the keepers’ right which was easily saved by the stopper.
Paul Ince – Two years on from their 1996 nightmare, England headed to France ’98 with much hope of being able to erase many of the bad memories from two years earlier. Having made their way through to the second round after two wins and a defeat in the group stages, England faced a penalty shoot-out with Argentina in the second round. Both sides had scored penalties during the game and when David Seaman saved the Argentinean’s second kick of the shoot-out it looked promising. Tough tackling midfielder Paul Ince stepped up to put England ahead but despite a well taken kick Carlos Roa was able to save the kick with his outstretched left hand.
David Batty – Having seen England score their next three spot kicks, the 1998 shoot-out against Argentina pitted another midfield hard man against the opposition goalkeeper. Number five spot kick taker David Batty bravely stepped up to take the kick David Beckham would have taken if he was still on the field and fired a poor penalty straight down the middle which was easy for the keeper to save.
David Beckham – After scoring a penalty in 2002 against Argentina go send England to the quarter finals and having netted many spot kicks throughout their path to qualification, David Beckham had three penalty nightmares in the space of a eighteen months. The England captain escaped the first one when he missed in a qualifier against Turkey in Istanbul though he bounced back from the kick and led England to a draw but in the tournament proper he was not quite so lucky. In the first game of the group stages with his side ahead Beckham had a penalty to give England a 2-0 lead against France but saw his kick saved by Barthez. Two weeks later Beckham also missed a penalty in the quarter finals against Portugal which helped their European rivals advance to the final in their home country.
Darius Vassell – Aston Villa forward Darius Vassell was also the victim of a penalty miss in the Euro 2004 quarter final but it is forgotten by many after a dramatic game so England’s great hope Rooney injured and captain Beckham get England off to a bad start by missing. With seven rounds gone in the shoot-out, one of England’s better players during the game stepped up only to see his penalty saved by the goalkeeper diving to his right.
Frank Lampard - Captain Beckham passed the penalty responsibilities onto Frank Lampard after Euro 2004 and in the run up to the World Cup in 2006 the Chelsea midfielder repaid his fellow midfielders faith by scoring five kicks out of five for his country in qualification. Having struggled for form in the World Cup itself however Lampard had a chance for redemption in a quarter final shoot-out against Portugal. Stepping up first the Chelsea midfielder saw his spot kick saved by Ricardo who was able to block the shot with his hands down to his right.
Steven Gerrard – Lampard’s fellow midfielder Steven Gerrard followed Lampard in the long work to the centre circle hoping to get England back on terms. Having seen a Portugal player miss and Owen Hargreaves successfully find the back of the net the Liverpool player with two goals to his name already was chosen third in England’s five. Unfortunately for Gerrard he suffered the same fate as Lampard when his kick was struck not far enough in the corner and the goalkeeper was able to save it comfortably.
Jamie Carragher – Liverpol defender Jamie Carragher was brought on in the final minutes of the shoot-out with the special role of taking one of England’s five kicks against Portugal. Having seen Gerrard and Lampard missed he was placed with the responsibility of ensuring that their England’s opponents would have to score their final two kicks to ensure they made it to the semi final. Carragher strolled bravely up to his kick and netted but the referees whistle had already gone and Carragher was forced to take again. This time he changed his mind and went for the opposite corner, Ricardo guessed correctly and put his side through.
Anton Ferdinand – West Ham defender and brother of Rio, Anton Ferdinand had two penalty shoot-out nightmares in extremely important games both for club and country. Having seen his side three times pegged back by Liverpool, Ferdinand stepped up to take a penalty in the FA Cup Final against Liverpool and heading low to the goalkeepers right saw his kick saved by Pepe Reina. A year later Ferdinand was involved in a marathon shoot-out with the u-21’s against Holland in the European Championships and going the opposite saw he saw his kick saved and England missed out on a place in the final.
Stuart Pearce – The final player to step up in the 1990 shoot-out, iron willed defender Stuart Pearce was trusted with the role of keeping England in the game and putting Germany’s fate in their own hands. Unfortunately for the defender although his strike was clean the German keeper was able to get a hand to it and send his side through to the final. Not to be deterred by his penalty taking nightmare, Pearce returned six years later in a penalty shoot-out against Spain scoring a crucial penalty to put England into another semi-final against Germany. Pearce was again called up to take a spot kick that night and used all his experience to go another step toward destroying the nightmare of Italia 90.
Gareth Southgate – The Aston Villa defender was the unfortunate man who followed on from Pearce and Waddle in the Euro ’96 shoot-out by missing the crucial penalty against Germany. Having been part of the team which was so heroic throughout the tournament he stepped up 6th against Bodo Ilgner at Wembley but aimed a weak kick to the keepers’ right which was easily saved by the stopper.
Paul Ince – Two years on from their 1996 nightmare, England headed to France ’98 with much hope of being able to erase many of the bad memories from two years earlier. Having made their way through to the second round after two wins and a defeat in the group stages, England faced a penalty shoot-out with Argentina in the second round. Both sides had scored penalties during the game and when David Seaman saved the Argentinean’s second kick of the shoot-out it looked promising. Tough tackling midfielder Paul Ince stepped up to put England ahead but despite a well taken kick Carlos Roa was able to save the kick with his outstretched left hand.
David Batty – Having seen England score their next three spot kicks, the 1998 shoot-out against Argentina pitted another midfield hard man against the opposition goalkeeper. Number five spot kick taker David Batty bravely stepped up to take the kick David Beckham would have taken if he was still on the field and fired a poor penalty straight down the middle which was easy for the keeper to save.
David Beckham – After scoring a penalty in 2002 against Argentina go send England to the quarter finals and having netted many spot kicks throughout their path to qualification, David Beckham had three penalty nightmares in the space of a eighteen months. The England captain escaped the first one when he missed in a qualifier against Turkey in Istanbul though he bounced back from the kick and led England to a draw but in the tournament proper he was not quite so lucky. In the first game of the group stages with his side ahead Beckham had a penalty to give England a 2-0 lead against France but saw his kick saved by Barthez. Two weeks later Beckham also missed a penalty in the quarter finals against Portugal which helped their European rivals advance to the final in their home country.
Darius Vassell – Aston Villa forward Darius Vassell was also the victim of a penalty miss in the Euro 2004 quarter final but it is forgotten by many after a dramatic game so England’s great hope Rooney injured and captain Beckham get England off to a bad start by missing. With seven rounds gone in the shoot-out, one of England’s better players during the game stepped up only to see his penalty saved by the goalkeeper diving to his right.
Frank Lampard - Captain Beckham passed the penalty responsibilities onto Frank Lampard after Euro 2004 and in the run up to the World Cup in 2006 the Chelsea midfielder repaid his fellow midfielders faith by scoring five kicks out of five for his country in qualification. Having struggled for form in the World Cup itself however Lampard had a chance for redemption in a quarter final shoot-out against Portugal. Stepping up first the Chelsea midfielder saw his spot kick saved by Ricardo who was able to block the shot with his hands down to his right.
Steven Gerrard – Lampard’s fellow midfielder Steven Gerrard followed Lampard in the long work to the centre circle hoping to get England back on terms. Having seen a Portugal player miss and Owen Hargreaves successfully find the back of the net the Liverpool player with two goals to his name already was chosen third in England’s five. Unfortunately for Gerrard he suffered the same fate as Lampard when his kick was struck not far enough in the corner and the goalkeeper was able to save it comfortably.
Jamie Carragher – Liverpol defender Jamie Carragher was brought on in the final minutes of the shoot-out with the special role of taking one of England’s five kicks against Portugal. Having seen Gerrard and Lampard missed he was placed with the responsibility of ensuring that their England’s opponents would have to score their final two kicks to ensure they made it to the semi final. Carragher strolled bravely up to his kick and netted but the referees whistle had already gone and Carragher was forced to take again. This time he changed his mind and went for the opposite corner, Ricardo guessed correctly and put his side through.
Anton Ferdinand – West Ham defender and brother of Rio, Anton Ferdinand had two penalty shoot-out nightmares in extremely important games both for club and country. Having seen his side three times pegged back by Liverpool, Ferdinand stepped up to take a penalty in the FA Cup Final against Liverpool and heading low to the goalkeepers right saw his kick saved by Pepe Reina. A year later Ferdinand was involved in a marathon shoot-out with the u-21’s against Holland in the European Championships and going the opposite saw he saw his kick saved and England missed out on a place in the final.