When Darius Vassell missed his penalty against Portugal at Euro 2004, he told Sven-Goran Eriksson he was scared to fly back home. He did not want to face the press.
Perhaps it would have been some comfort for Vassell had he realised that, as he entered into the great tradition of Englishmen fluffing their lines from 12 yards, the consequences were nothing compared to the fallout from Gareth Southgate’s effort at Euro 96.
Eight years earlier, when the defender’s penalty was saved by Andreas Kopke, one fan wrote to him personally to tell him it was his fault he had ended up in prison for rioting.
Little did the current Three Lions boss know that a quarter of a century on, not only would his career nadir not be forgotten, it would still be providing one of the great sub-plots to his country’s last-16 tie at the European Championship.
There will be no ignominious pizza adverts for his troops should they bow out in the face of Joachim Low’s last hurrah, though it can’t be discounted that in this meeting of two nations who have flattered to deceive so far in the competition, a winner could well be decided in regulation time without the need for the customary agony of the shootout.
And there has been plenty of that where England are concerned – with only two victories by that method at major tournaments in their history.
England’s penalty record – the highs and many lows
If you take into account World Cups and European Championships combined, England have taken part in eight shootouts. They’ve won just two – against Spain and Colombia – and lost the other six.
Southgate’s men did register one further triumph, which you’d be forgiven for having forgotten about entirely, in the Uefa Nations League third-placed play-off against Switzerland in 2019.
Their fans will not need reminding that Germany’s record, meanwhile, is enviable. Die Mannschaft have only lost once in a shootout at the Euros – and never at the World Cup – with that defeat coming against Czechoslovakia in the 1976 final.
World Cup 1990: Lost to West Germany (1-1 AET, 4-3 on penalties).
- England scorers: Gary Lineker, Peter Beardsley, David Platt
- Who missed? Stuart Pearce, Chris Waddle
Euro 1996: Beat Spain (0-0 AET, 4-2 on penalties)
- England scorers: Alan Shearer, David Platt, Stuart Pearce, Paul Gascoigne
- Who missed? No England players
Euro 1996: Lost to Germany (1-1 AET, 6-5 on penalties)
- England scorers: Alan Shearer, David Platt, Stuart Pearce, Paul Gascoigne, Teddy Sheringham
- Who missed? Gareth Southgate
World Cup 1998: Lost to Argentina (2-2 AET, 4-3 on penalties)
- England scorers: Alan Shearer, Paul Merson, Michael Owen
- Who missed? Paul Ince, David Batty
Euro 2004: Lost to Portugal (2-2 AET, 6-5 on penalties)
- England scorers: Michael Owen, Frank Lampard, John Terry, Owen Hargreaves, Ashley Cole
- Who missed? David Beckham, Darius Vassell
World Cup 2006: Lost to Portugal (0-0 AET, 3-1 on penalties)
- England scorers: Owen Hargreaves
- Who missed? Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher
Euro 2012: Lost to Italy (0-0 AET, 4-2 on penalties)
- England scorers: Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard
- Who missed? Ashley Young, Ashley Cole
World Cup 2018: Beat Colombia (1-1 AET, 4-3 on penalties)
- England scorers: Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, Kieran Trippier, Eric Dier
- Who missed? Jordan Henderson
More from i on Euro 2020
- England aren’t ‘rubbish’ and Southgate isn’t a ‘fraud’ – we just need a bit of patience
- What the Premier League could learn from Euro 2020’s controversy-free referees
- The football nomad who became a hero for his role in saving Eriksen’s life
- How Ronaldo’s Coca-Cola stunt could change the face of football sponsorship
- How to watch every Euro 2020 match on TV and online in the UK
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3y3LGLh
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